* Washington Post…
Weekly jobless claims fell to a pandemic low for the third consecutive week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, with 553,000 Americans filing for initial unemployment benefits in the week that ended April 24.
This marks a 13,000 decrease compared to last week, putting the insured unemployment rate around 2.6 percent, the Labor Department said.
While claims remain elevated (In 2019, average weekly initial claims hovered around 218,000), the trajectory signals that growing vaccination numbers, loosening business restrictions and warmer weather are helping to heal the jobs market.
* CBS 2…
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 14,997 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 19 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday. […]
There were 15,248 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 12 in Illinois.
here were 18,986 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 5 in Illinois.
There were 16,182 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of March 29 in Illinois.
*** UPDATE *** I meant to post this here and forgot…
A state representative demanded the state’s unemployment offices under Gov. J.B. Pritzker be reopened immediately.
His demand was met with applause in the House chamber on Wednesday. […]
On Wednesday on the House floor, state Rep. Joe Sosnowki, R-Rockford, said it’s time to open the offices back up immediately.
“Why are our unemployment offices in the state of Illinois still closed,” Sosnowski said. “It is now almost the month of May 2021, and our unemployment offices around the state are closed. I don’t believe this is a political issue. I know members on both sides of the aisles have the same concern.” […]
“Proof is in the pudding,” Sosnowski said as he praised Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White for having had their offices open to the public.
“They run a great office,” Sosnowski said of driver services facilities. “Their offices have been open since last May, serving thousands of people at different locations around the state. Our unemployment offices need to open today.”
Um, the some SoS offices are still closed and have Secretary White has closed others due to the virus. I’m also not aware of any threats of violence against those offices, unlike IDES.
But, he does have a point.
- Pizza Man - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 10:54 am:
Thank you for speaking up on this issue, Rep. Sosnowski. If the United Center and other venues like restaurants can open up or have been open for a while, the IDES offices can do the same. No excuses.
- Donnie Elgin - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 11:00 am:
= some SoS offices are still closed and have Secretary White has closed others due to the virus=
There are 122 SOS facilities, as of today 5 are closed and 3 are appointment only. So that means 114 are open.
- Pizza Man - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 11:15 am:
So these IDES offices, unlike other state offices or businesses, have been closed when they are needed the most by our citizens at this time??
- Perrid - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 11:20 am:
Pizza Man, many state offices have been closed. Rich explictly said that, if you cared to read the post. You can argue for them to reopen without trying to villainize them for not already being open, those are in fact 2 different things, FYI.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 11:25 am:
Leave to the GQP to find something negative in a story about people going back to work.
6.4% GDP growth nationally too.
- DuPage Dem - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 12:16 pm:
Restaurants have some of the highest rates of Covid infections. The United Center is a huge arena - not an office. I’m all for getting employees back to the office but I’d like to see the GOP actually participate in the difficult effort to get the part of the public that has been brainwashed by their fear mongering over vaccines and masks to comply with basic safety efforts so those folks who are returning to an office can feel safe doing so. I’d also like to see them contribute to turning down the temperature that has led to state employees receiving death threats. So far I have seen neither so this all seems like a lot of obnoxious posturing.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 3:16 pm:
How on earth can there be something negative about a story about unemployment in Illinois?
Illinois lagging the nation is again part of the story
A year ago unemployment in Illinois was 3.7%,
It is now 7.1% down from 7.3% last month
Year over year unemployment increase of 3.4% is only exceeded by
HI 6.9% increase now 9%
NY 4.6% increase now 8.5%%
CA 3.8% incense now 8.3%
CT 4.5% increase now 8.3%
NJ 3.9% increase now 7.7%
IL 3.4% increase now 7.1%
MA 4.1% increase now 6.8%
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 3:27 pm:
=== Year over year unemployment increase of 3.4% is only exceeded by===
5 other states, the pandemic hitting them all.
So the other 5 are worse than Illinois, including California, New York, with Connecticut and New Jersey ever so close to New York’s economy and engine-like business.
You want to be more like Alabama?
Are you rooting against Illinois yet again?
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Thursday, Apr 29, 21 @ 8:52 pm:
==Pizza Man, many state offices have been closed.==
You wouldn’t be able to tell that by looking at the Capitol Complex during workdays. All of SoS has been back (Howlett, Archives, etc.) since last June 1st, and it appears that most of the Stratton seems to be back. Full houses also at many of the parking lots in the complex too.
Other than IDES, what other agencies have still had their employees working remotely a year later, and their offices still closed to the public?