Illinois’ September jobless rate steady, payroll grows

Illinois’ unemployment rate remained at 4.5% for the month of September while payroll increased by more than 14,500. 

The monthly jobless rates statistics are based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES.

As part of its monthly report, IDES also said the state’s unemployment rate was 1.0 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for September, which was 3.5%.  That was down 0.2 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate  also was down 1.0 percentage point from a year ago when it was at 5.5%.

Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 238,800 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest job increases included:

  • Leisure and Hospitality – +52,900.
  • Trade, Transportation and Utilities – +51,700.
  • Professional and Business Services – +51,200). 

Jobs in Educational and Health Services also were up by 5,400 and in the Government sector by 3,900. At the same time, the mining sector reported a small decrease in payroll employment (-100) and total nonfarm payrolls were up 4.1% over-the-year in Illinois and up 3.9% percent in the nation.

The number of unemployed workers in Illinois in September was up slightly from August –  a 2% increase to 290,600  – and it was down 17.3% over the same month one year ago. The labor force was down slightly (-0.2%) over-the-month and up +1.8% over-the-year.

The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.

In September, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment include: Educational and Health Services (+5,400), Government (+3,900), and Professional and Business Services (+3,800). The industry sectors that reported monthly payroll declines included: Leisure and Hospitality (-2,500), and Information (-400).

“Today’s data is a clear indicator that the Illinois labor market continues to remain strong and stable,” said Illinois Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “As continued claims levels remain at historical lows, IDES is committed to connecting jobseekers and employers throughout the state with the tools and resources they need to take advantage of the current landscape.”

Added Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sylvia I. Garcia: “Illinois’ employment growth has outpaced the nation over the past year and is a positive sign of continued economic recovery in Illinois’ strong labor market. Looking ahead, DCEO will continue to focus on key industries and segments of the workforce in need of additional support.”

Get Hired Illinois is a one-stop-shop website to help connect job seekers with hiring employers in real time. The site features virtual job fairs, no-cost virtual training, and includes IllinoisJobLink.com (IJL), the state’s largest job search engine, which recently showed 44,593 posted resumes with 149,526 available jobs.

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