If you’re feeling down about your job, you’re not alone.

A recent survey conducted by Salary.com rated Illinois as one of the worst states when it comes to job satisfaction.

The state rated 42nd in the nation, with 68 percent being unhappy with their jobs.

And with the small ratio of white-collar jobs to lower-paying work, DeKalb residents also have more than enough to frown about.

Such jobs, with little benefits and low wages, often do little to benefit DeKalb residents. Many of these occupations have accompanied the hike in national retail chains, along with empty promises of financial support.

Such jobs are sufficient perhaps for most NIU college students, but more permanent residents also will be forced to depend on them in the absence of better work. The result is more members of the working-class poor who can barely care for their families, much less make a significant contribution to the local economy.

Sadly, this trend will continue with the opening of the Target distribution center, scheduled for November 2006. The center is expected to employ 500 within the first year, some of them making $12 per hour.

That’s hardly enough to support a comfortable living.

Higher-paying jobs are precisely what Mayor Frank Van Buer promised to bring more of during his mayoral campaign.

He has been in office since April 2005 and the city has yet to see more higher-paying work that can actually improve residents’ quality of life.

If this trend continues, DeKalb workers likely will experience more of the conditions that often lead to lack of job satisfaction.

Common reasons include bad relations with a boss, lack of job security, lack of appreciation, insufficient pay and lack of career progression, said NIU business professor Terrence Bishop.

Most of these factors — especially lack of security, insufficient pay and little opportunity for advancement — are more prevalent in retail jobs.

If city officials want to promote a healthy local economy, they must realize the importance not only in the quantity, but also the quality of work brought into the city.