* Press release…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -0.2 percentage point to 6.8 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +9,300, in September, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The August monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +2,500 to +7,400 jobs. The August unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 7.0 percent.

The September payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. The BLS has published FAQs for the September payroll jobs and the unemployment rate.

In September, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Leisure and Hospitality (+5,500), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+3,700) and Construction (+2,500). The industry sectors that reported the largest monthly payroll declines were: Manufacturing (-2,800), Financial Activities (-1,100) and Professional and Business Services (-200).

“As we continue to work through the recovery period of the pandemic, IDES is committed to helping Illinoisans find their next job opportunity,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “IDES encourages employers looking for jobseekers, and those looking to reenter the workforce, to take advantage of IllinoisJobLink.com and search for available jobs and jobseekers in their area.”

“As seen throughout the year, Illinois continues to make progress in bringing residents back to work, and stabilizing industries which have been severely impacted by the ongoing effects of the pandemic,” said DCEO Acting Director Sylvia Garcia. “While we are proud of the progress we’ve made to increase employment levels from last year, we can’t take anything for granted. That is why, in addition to continued proactive health measures to beat the virus, our administration remains focused on investments that will support impacted businesses, expand workforce training and deploy capital investment to help gradually and safely restore our economy to pre-pandemic levels.”

The state’s unemployment rate was +2.0 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for September, which was 4.8 percent, down -0.4 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -3.6 percentage points from a year ago when it was at 10.4 percent.

Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +157,900 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases were: Leisure and Hospitality (+54,400), Professional and Business Services (+45,000), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+26,200). Financial Activities (-7,900) was the only industry group that reported jobs losses. In September, total nonfarm payrolls were up +2.8 percent over-the-year in Illinois and +4.0 percent the nation.

The number of unemployed workers was down from the prior month, a -3.3 percent decrease to 421,700, and was down -36.2 percent over the same month for one year ago. The labor force was up +0.1 percent over-the-month and was down -2.2 percent 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.

* AP…

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to a new low point since the pandemic erupted, evidence that layoffs are declining as companies hold onto workers.

Unemployment claims dropped 6,000 to 290,000 last week, the third straight drop, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the fewest people to apply for benefits since March 14, 2020, when the pandemic intensified. Applications for jobless aid, which generally track the pace of layoffs, have fallen steadily from about 900,000 in January.

Unemployment claims are increasingly returning to normal, but many other aspects of the job market haven’t yet done so. Hiring has slowed in the past two months, even as companies and other employers have posted a near-record number of open jobs. Officials such as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had hoped more people would find work in September as schools reopened, easing child care constraints, and enhanced unemployment aid ended nationwide.

6,999 new claims were filed in Illinois last week, up 97 from the previous week.

* Illinois was featured in a recent CBS News story about childcare…

It’s one approach meant to solve a critical problem made worse by the coronavirus: Helping parents find affordable child care while helping the centers attract and keep quality workers.

“You’ve got to pay the workers properly in order to keep this industry going and it already was in crisis, now worse so, it’s hobbling the economic recovery that most of the people, many of the people that are looking for work can’t find child care,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker told CBS News.

Pritzker has given child care workers $1,000 bonuses and offered three months of free care to parents looking for work.

“If we’re not investing in our young children, we’re creating a terrible future for ourselves,” Pritzker said. “We have to stop thinking about things in one-year increments. Investing in young children means that you’re gonna get a 20, 30, 40-year return.”

* People criticized IDES for not having enough login security, but the state warned that adding security layers would make it more difficult for some people to access their accounts because they wouldn’t be able to figure it out. Well, guess what happened…

Imagine logging on to get your unemployment money, and getting an error message that keeps you locked out.

A new additional security system designed to prevent unemployment fraud is causing new problems for many claimants.

If the problem was on the state end, you gotta figure there’d be lots more complaints. I suppose we’ll see.

* More…

* Seasonal hiring runs into tight labor market: The latest federal data show job openings are already plentiful, allowing job seekers to be pickier about where they work. There were 10.4 million job openings in the U.S. at the end of August and 11.1 million openings the month before, the highest on record since at least December 2000, when the government started recording that figure. At the same time, the Labor Department said that the number of people quitting their jobs jumped to 4.3 million in August, up from 4 million in July.

* Illinois Department Of Employment Security Promised Money Back To Unemployment Recipients After Overpayment Waivers, So Where Are The Refunds?

* ‘If temperatures keep rising, it’s going to be hard to grow pumpkins in southern Illinois.’ Researcher on quest for a hybrid pumpkin.

* CTA set to slash fares in bid to boost ridership

* Editorial: One Central’s transit hub needs billions from taxpayers. Do taxpayers need One Central?

* What the feds can do to give Illinois an edge in the EV race. Dick Durbin writes: We are standing at the starting line of an electric vehicle revolution. If the federal government can complement Pritzker’s commitment, Illinois is poised to win.

* Uber opens new office in Old Post Office, making Chicago the center of growth plans for its surging freight business