Jobs numbers are down a little, but Illinois’ unemployment rate is steady.
Those are the main messages from the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s (IDES) statewide employment report for the month of October.
IDES recently announced nonfarm payrolls were down -2,400 while the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.3%.
“Illinois continues to prioritize capitalizing on opportunities to enhance investments in the workforce and to support the talented and diverse labor force across the state,” Deputy Gov. Andy Manar said in the IDES news release. “IDES and its workforce partners remain committed to providing jobseekers and employers with the critical resources they need to take advantage of a robust, healthy workforce ecosystem.”
According to Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Kristin Richards, “Illinois’ steady payroll job numbers are a testament to the importance of investing in our state’s growing economic ecosystem. DCEO is dedicated to continuing our efforts to ensure Illinois remains a place of opportunity and the best place to live, work and do business.”
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.2 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for October. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in October, unchanged from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +0.5 percentage point from a year ago when it was 4.8%.
Citing data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the IDES announced that the September monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +7,100 to -15,800. The revised unemployment rate for September was 5.3%, or unchanged from the preliminary September rate.
In October, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job losses included: Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-1,900), Other Services (-1,000), Information (-300), and Professional and Business Services (-300). The industry sectors with monthly payroll job increases included: Leisure and Hospitality (+1,400), Manufacturing (+100), and Private Education and Health Services (+100).
Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Illinois rose last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said recently.
New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased to 10,140 in the week ending Nov. 9, up from 8,948 the week before, the department said.
U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 217,000 last week, down 4,000 claims from 221,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.
