The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 4.8 percent in December and nonfarm payrolls increased by +1,500 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. November jobs were revised up to show a slight gain (+3,100 jobs) rather than a slight loss as initially reported (-1,100 jobs).
December’s monthly payroll gain kept over-the-year job growth well below the national average. While Illinois job growth has had its ups and downs since the beginning of the year, the 3-month trend shows average gains of +4,700 jobs per month from October to December. This reflects an improvement over the 3-month average gain of +1,500 from September to November.
“The unemployment rate dropped in December, even as the labor force increased in the final quarter of the year.” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Payrolls overall have now increased by about a half-percent over the year to date, which is an additional 29,600 jobs.”
“The fourth quarter trend is certainly promising,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy. “Illinois is beginning to see results from investments made in securing businesses by this administration.
In December, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Government (+4,100); Other Services (+2,600); and Construction (+2,200). The three industry sectors with the largest payroll declines were: Professional and Business Services (-3,100); Financial Activities (-2,600) and Education and Health Services (-2,300).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +29,600 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in December: Financial Activities (+8,700); Manufacturing (+7,700); and Education and Health Services (+6,600). The industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Government (-4,100); Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-2,900); Leisure and Hospitality (-1,400). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +0.5 percent over-the-year in sharp contrast to the nation’s +1.4 percent over-the-year gain in December.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.7 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for December 2017, which held at 4.1 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.9 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.7 percent. The Illinois jobless rate last stood at 4.8 percent in July.
- Chicago Cynic - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 12:40 pm:
As the economy has gained strength, we’ve fallen further behind. I’m sure it has NOTHING to do with the chaos created by the budget impasse and the negative cheerleading of our state by the Downer-In-Chief.
- blue dog dem - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 12:52 pm:
Work comp causation. Change it.
- anon2 - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 12:53 pm:
The annual numbers show that job growth under Rauner were much lower than under his predecessor. Growth was good in Rauner’s first year, only to drop far below the Quinn average in the following two years. The average growth during Rauner’s three years was 13.3, compared to the average growth of 67.4 during Quinn’s five years. If Quinn was as much of a disaster for the state economy as Rauner and the GOP have long maintained, then what does that make our current Governor?
- Henry Francis - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 12:56 pm:
==“Illinois is beginning to see results from investments made in securing businesses by this administration.==
Just what are those investments?
Intersect? Check out its website. It’s been updated maybe 2 times in the past 6 months. Where are the successes?
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:01 pm:
I know everyone on here will be saying, “Look! The jobs numbers fell drastically after Rauner took office!” Yes, but that ignores the fact they were terrible to begin with. Metro Atlanta and Dallas add double the pre-Rauner numbers each year, and they have less than half the population of Illinois. Well … not for long.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:03 pm:
===Yes, but that ignores the fact they were terrible to begin with===
And what did he do to fix it?
- Dread Pirate Roberts - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:09 pm:
Rauner needs to go and take his appointees with him
- Al - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:15 pm:
How much dough does it take to create a job? If we accept $100,000 per job then every hundred million the Casino license holders exports to New Jersey and Nevada results in the loss or failure to create a thousand jobs. Higher gaming taxes to fund the Common School fund is important. Not only is money missing to fund our schools, job creating capitol is being stripped from Main street and exported. Pitiful.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:16 pm:
@Anonymous 1:01
You are absolutely right. Things weren’t very good when it came to job creation. Now they are just awful. And your attitude is exactly that of every Rauner supporter that I talk to. He’s made it worse, and you take some sort of bizarre pleasure from that and think he should be reelected for it. It is just weird, man.
- Texas Red - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:22 pm:
Wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs create jobs. These folks are free to move capital and people where they please based on opportunity to make a profit. In a competitive market between states – it should be no surprise that the jobs situation in Illinois is dismal.
- Arsenal - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:27 pm:
==Yes, but that ignores the fact they were terrible to begin with.==
He wasn’t elected to maintain a crummy status quo, and it’s actually gotten worse.
- Generic Drone - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:28 pm:
But Madigan
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:48 pm:
“Wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs create jobs”
Get over yourself. Everyone who spends money creates jobs—the vast majority of whom are not wealthy. Government spending also creates jobs.
“These folks are free to move capital and people where they please”
Chicago metro has been repeatedly ranked number one in corporate real estate deals/relocations. Businesses go where there’s capital, infrastructure, education, consumer demand, etc. They must like coming to Democratic Chicago.
Rauner doesn’t care about job numbers. His mission is to radically change government. Not funny things happened on the way to Rauner’s radical change: massive debt spikes, slashing of social services and higher ed, poor economic performance, and the rest.
- JS Mill - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:52 pm:
=Yes, but that ignores the fact they were terrible to begin with.=
Quinn’s worst year was 3X better than Rauners worst year. Quinn’s worst three years are 25% better than Rauner’s three years. Given the fact the Quinn was in office right after the great recession Rauner’s numbers should be much better.
=Wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs create jobs.=
Consumers create jobs. Wage growth for the middle class creates jobs as they are more likely to put new income back into the economy versus wealthy individuals.
You also may want to check and see what “entrepreneurs” actually do.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 1:54 pm:
–Wealthy individuals and entrepreneurs create jobs.–
For kicks? With magic wands? Or because someone will buy their goods and services and they need labor to provide them.
Candidate Rauner couldn’t name one job he created or business he built when asked by Charles Thomas during a debate against Quinn. He also didn’t claim to do so in any of his media that he spent tens of millions on.
I hear he’s wealthy.
Consumers create jobs. If they ain’t buying, you ain’t selling.
As far as government’s role in “creating jobs” in Illinois, it would be swell to have executive leadership hooking up the community college system with the existing businesses that are struggling to find workers with the necessary skills. They’re out there.
Rauner zeroed out community colleges for two years. That ain’t the leadership needed.
- City Zen - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:15 pm:
The unions, sorry, IWT, seem to have forgotten a couple of years:
2007: -133.8
2008: -267.7
- Texas Red - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:17 pm:
While I will agree that true economic expansion and the resulting job growth is caused by macro economic conditions such as increased economic output and higher worker productivity. For the post I was offing thoughts on the relative attractiveness of Illinois to job creators. By any rational measure IL suffers compared to our neighbors and indeed most other states.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:28 pm:
–The unions, sorry, IWT, seem to have forgotten a couple of years:
2007: -133.8
2008: -267.7–
Huh. Wonder what was going on back then?
You’d think there was a collapse of the global financial system or something.
Nah. The rest of planet was booming, right? Must have been Springfield. It runs the “economy.”
- City Zen - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:39 pm:
==Quinn’s worst year was 3X better than Rauner’s worst year.==
Number of points Illinois’ unemployment rate is higher than US average:
2007 0.5
2008 0.6
2009 1.3
2010 0.2
2011 0.8
2012 1.2
2013 1.7
2014 0.5
2015 1.1
2016 1
We shouldn’t be defending either’s records.
- Ron - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:40 pm:
If it weren’t for Chicago, the state probably would have a net loss of jobs.
- Ron - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:41 pm:
Downstate is struggling mightily. Workers comp reform and right to work would help them quite a bit.
- Ron - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:42 pm:
Consumers create jobs.”
Silly, consumers do nothing without jobs.
- City Zen - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:49 pm:
==You’d think there was a collapse of the global financial system or something.==
Yes, word, what was going on in 2013? Other than President Obama upping the social security withholding back up from 4.2 to 6.2%, which meant most folks felt the true impact of the state income tax hike for the first time. I can’t think of any other conspiracies. Well, “Thrift Shop” was playing non-stop at the gym.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:56 pm:
“Silly, consumers do nothing without jobs.”
And businesses do nothing without consumers. It’s symbiotic—not exactly what they teach at IPI 101.
- wordslinger - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 2:57 pm:
–Consumers create jobs.”
Silly, consumers do nothing without jobs.–
–Yes, word, what was going on in 2013? Other than President Obama upping the social security withholding back up from 4.2 to 6.2%, which meant most folks felt the true impact of the state income tax hike for the first time. –
I don’t understand what either one of you are trying to say. Are you doing a Vulcan mind-meld or something?
If Lucky Pierre chimes in along the same lines, I’ll understand what’s going on.
- Belle - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 3:03 pm:
If he’s the Gov much longer, IL will be 100% prairie
- Anonymous - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 3:15 pm:
Illinois is not creating jobs. “Consumers” can’t buy much without a job.
- theCardinal - Friday, Jan 19, 18 @ 4:12 pm:
Its Illinois anti business policies and overall economy that have (the past 15 plus years ) done there damage to manufacturing. All the small companies that were in downstate communities bailed. That more than anything is whats killing the rest of the state out side cook and collars. They aint coming back either. Look inside the deals cut to bring in some of the big HQs into Chicago and see how sutainable they are as well. 10-15 years from now some of them will be bailing too. Sadly we are not business friendly.