More people at work in the Quad Cities and the unemployment rate is down in the region.
Those are two of the major data points presented in the latest unemployment report for November from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).
“Significant job growth has remained consistent throughout all corners of the state for nearly two years,” Illinois Deputy Gov. Andy Manar said in an IDES news release. “As job expansion continues and more people enter the labor force to capitalize on newly created job opportunities, IDES stands ready to provide resources that will help match employers and jobseekers.”
The monthly unemployment report outlines the job growth in the Quad Cities as:
- Total nonfarm jobs in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island for November were at 189,800 – up 11,400 jobs compared to November 2021 when the region had 178,400 non-farm workers.
- The November unemployment rate for the Quad Cities was 3.7%. That is down 0.3% from the 4% unemployment in November 2021.
In addition to the Quad Cities, the metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Rockford area (+3.9%, +5,600 jobs), and the Chicago Metropolitan Division (+3.6%, +134,200 jobs).
Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) included: manufacturing; mining and construction, leisure and hospitality and other services; education and health services; wholesale trade; government; retail trade and transportation, warehousing and utilities.
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were: Kankakee MSA (+0.3 point to 5.4%); Bloomington MSA (+0.2 point to 3.4%); Champaign-Urbana MSA (+0.2 point to 3.6%) and Lake County-Kenosha County, IL-WI Metro Division (+0.2 point to 3.8%). The largest unemployment rate decreases were in the Rockford MSA (-0.7 point to 5.8%), the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island area (-0.3 point to 3.7%) and the Decatur MSA (-0.3 point to 5.7%). The Chicago Metro Division unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.5%. The unemployment rate increased over-the-year in 83 counties, decreased in 14, and was unchanged in 5.
Here are the November unemployment rates for some Illinois cities:
- Peoria – 4.5%
- Rockford – 5.8%
- Springfield – 3.9%
- Decatur – 5.7%
- Kankakee – 5.4%
