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Illlinois unemployment rate rises to 9.2 percent

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Illinois

* From a press release…

Illinois added 9,000 private sector jobs in June and the unemployment rate inched upward to 9.2 percent, according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). Illinois added 57,700 private sector jobs compared to June 2012. The data is seasonally adjusted.

“Continued private sector job growth suggests business leaders expect that consumers will feel better about spending money and they must prepare for that increase in demand,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said. “The unemployment rate is not surprising given the volatility of that measurement and that the same summertime movement occurred in 2012 and 2011.”

Illinois has added +237,900 private sector jobs since January 2010 when job growth returned following nearly two years of consecutive monthly declines. Leading growth sectors are Professional and Business Services (+101,600); Education and Health Services (+60,400); and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+39,300). Government has lost the most jobs since January 2010, down -36,300. […]

The rate’s three-month moving average, which smoothes volatility, fell -0.1 to 9.2 percent in June. In June 2013, the number of unemployed increased slightly for the first time since March, up +1,600 (+0.3 percent) to 600,700. Total unemployed has fallen -151,500 ( 20.1 percent) since early 2010 when the state unemployment rate peaked at 11.3 percent for the months of January and February.

* Biggest job losses were in government. Click the pic for a larger image…

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 12:21 pm

Comments

B-b-b-b-ut just recently IDES was telling us that an increase in the unemployment rate was a good thing, because it means that more people are rejoining the workforce and searching for jobs.
https://capitolfax.com/2013/03/22/il-unemployment-rises-for-second-straight-month/

This is just all sorts of confusing now.

Especially since our unemployment rate has been languishing near the bottom of the pile for quite some time now.

We had the 49th-worst unemployment rate in the country last month. Maybe we can crack 50 this month.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 12:40 pm
With Gov Quinn closing so many state facilities, especially in southern Illinois, someone will lose a job. Sure, he said that employees at these facilities would have jobs at other locations, that means that a spouse would have to quit a job for a relocation. That’s my dilemma. Do I move 300 miles to keep my job, while my wife quits a great teaching job and spends the next year looking for another one, or do I take what little retirement will be left after the pension committee tears it apart?

Comment by Rusty618 Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 12:43 pm
great…if you can shrink even more government jobs (to total below 500,000) you may be able to release the stranglehold on the private sector, which is the only sector that creates value. Then you would really see some action. Keep on firing those government workers!

Comment by warhed Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 12:48 pm
OK you Tea Baggers, time to start pounding the private sector about creating job for workers laid off as the result of the smaller gvt. you been calling for.

Comment by Give Me A Break Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 12:50 pm
Still a drag. And yes, a fired public employee is a drag on the economy.

Residential real estate around me is hopping. Story in the local paper yesterday about properties selling a few days after listing above asking price.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 1:03 pm
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!!- Illinois employment isn’t being hampered by loss of public sector jobs- So stop trying to blame anyone other then the folks that are ruining the business climate with their feckless lack of leadership on the pension mess- Until the pension issue is put to bed no one in their right mind will commit to opening a new plant or facility and adding to their workforce- Quinn is right about one thing- the pension debacle needs to get fixed- unfortunately he has been clueless in terms of helping with the resolution- By the way- Sen Raoul seems to have cleaned up with campaign contributions as of his June 30 report- what a surprise that the Unions sent him bucket loads of $$$$ while he is in charge of attempting to reach a pension fix consensus-Illinois has turned into a bad joke

Comment by Sue Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 1:19 pm
–Illinois employment isn’t being hampered by loss of public sector jobs—

–Government has lost the most jobs since January 2010, down -36,300.–

Sue, I admire those who can live with the cognitive dissonance.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 1:24 pm
As soon as I saw the headline, I knew someone would blame it on pensions.

Comment by Joe M Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 1:25 pm
Folks- perhaps you failed to see the report issued last week on the most improved and worst improved states for business climate- MA was most improved and Illinois dropped 11 steps down to 37 for worst improved- Employment is all about the private sector- losing 36 thousand public sector jobs is the recognition that the private sector generated tax revenues cannot sustain our public sector at current levels-

Comment by Sue Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 1:31 pm
Wow. A couple of you are giddy about public employees losing their jobs. I guess having those employees unemployed is acceptable.

Oh, and @Sue, employment is not just about the private sector. Government is not an insignificant portion of the employment sector. Whether you want to admit it or not, public employees losing jobs will affect the unemployment rate.

But like I said, some of you apparently could care less about those unemployed people.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 1:36 pm
==As soon as I saw the headline, I knew someone would blame it on pensions.==

Personally, I would blame global warming, but that’s a national talking point and Mr. Miller tries to keep us focused on Illinois.

Comment by Anon. Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 1:45 pm
We keep seeing the sad examples of how losses of government jobs are one of the biggest factors keeping the economy down, both here and nationally.

I think it’s obvious that government jobs should be part of any discussion about economic health and recovery.

Quinn should be signing the medical marijuana bill soon. I would like to see it roll out and observe how it will impact the economy. I hope he won’t use it as another one of his comically inept pension gimmicks, like Squeezy and pay freezes, and hold it hostage for a pension bill. I think we’ve seen enough tricks up Quinn’s sleeve.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 2:24 pm
Government jobs often represent a state’s investment in education, infrastructure, services, and safety. And those are things that promote growth in the private sector and attract businesses.

Comment by Joe M Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 2:45 pm
Sad story all around.

Still, Sue, no sense in ignoring real data in order to make an ideological point.

Comment by walkinfool Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 2:47 pm
Most ratings show Illinois, California, and New York as having some of the worst business climates. Texas, Florida, and Indiana are shown as having some of the best business climates. However, those business climate rankings don’t tell the whole story.

Some of the states with the lowest business climate rankings have the highest gross domestic product per capita figures. And some of the states with the highest business climate rankings have the lowest GNP per capita.

Gross Domestic Product per captia:

Illinois: 15th
New York: 7th
California 12th.
___
Texas 24th
Indiana 36th
Florida 40th.

But besides unemployment, the state ranking that affects us the most individually is:

Per capita income:
Illinois: 18th
California: 10th
New York: 16th
Texas: 25th
Florida: 37th
Indiana: 31st

Comment by Joe M Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 2:54 pm
= Illinois added 57,700 private sector jobs compared to June 2012. =

Hold the phone. How the heck did they arrive at that figure?

By the Department’s own admission, the Over the Year Change was 45,800. I’ve tried to get to 57,700 a number of different ways and can’t seem to get there.

Comment by Dirty Red Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 3:19 pm
I should clarify: that 45,800 figure also includes “Government” jobs.

Also, does anyone know how the Department counts teachers? June would have been the first full month of summer, and only the “Government” job numbers are down.

Comment by Dirty Red Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 4:10 pm
“Per capita income:
Illinois: 18th
California: 10th
New York: 16th”

These states are union states.

I just learned of the following statistics, on union vs. non-union pay across America for full-time workers. They’re BLS statistics, and they show that for every demographic except Asian men, union pay is higher than non-union pay. The overall difference I believe is around 20% That is not insignificant.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.t02.htm

“Texas: 25th
Florida: 37th
Indiana: 31st”

These right to work states may have shown more job growth lately, but we know that they rank much lower in other key areas also.

What model do we want for Illinois? I don’t approve of one proposed model, which to me is blackmail, telling us we will have more jobs if we weaken unions. With the facts that we presented, this model is not right for Illinois. It is not part of our history, and it’s not the kind of recovery we’ve had in the past and deserve in the future.

Here is a great model. One of America’s largest retailers has had fantastic growth over the last several years. It provides its employees with excellent compensation, much better than its competitor. The vast majority of its employees get health insurance. The corporation has a higher than average unionization rate, and its collective bargaining contracts serve as models for how its non-union employees are compensated.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 4:21 pm
@Rusty618 - that’s a terrible choice to have to make, one that some folks very close to me have to make as well. I’m sorry to hear that.

It’s getting ridiculous, Rusty. Illinois is running out of excuses.

Our unemployment rate has been above 9% for 6 months now while the rest of the country makes slow and steady progress. As mentiined in my post this morning, I doubt we remain static or actually show improvement when the next batch of national unemployment numbers come out. The month after that. we’ll sink to 51st and languish there for a while.

It’s unacceptable for a state possessing our natural advantages.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 4:36 pm
One thing that really surprised me was when Bill Brady was asked by Jeff Berkowitz what the Illinois unemployment rate was and Brady didn’t know. He took a stab at it by inferring or alluding to maybe 8% but I was really surprised that this was one fact that he did not have filed away in his head prior to going on Berkowitz’s program? He better start to prepare better for these various media affairs or he will be an also-ran once again. Nobody likes to do your homework but the next day when you are standing in front of the teacher answering her questions, you will be glad that you did.

Comment by A Casual Observer Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 5:45 pm
Well, it’s hardly fabulous news at 9.3%, but at least it sure beats the 11.3% gigantic Unemployment Rate which we in Illinois were rackin’ up (per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) back more toward the Peak of the God-Awful Recession, from 12-09 thru 2-10…!

And the GOOD News that is at least encouraging includes those several Thousand (well-over 7000) good Jobs which will be created or supported which the Governor just announced–between the Navistar new Center developed, and the massive Mississippi River Bridge Project Downstate, not to mention the several hundred more positions which apparently will be created in Southern Illinois with the I-57 Project near Marion!!

So at least it appears that there is some new hope for those looking for work in Illinois on the Horizon…!

Comment by Just The Way It Is One Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 9:01 pm
That was MEANT to read, above, of course, “…hardly fabulous news at 9.2%….”

Comment by Just The Way It Is One Thursday, Jul 18, 13 @ 9:13 pm
Can the “information” industry (assuming it includes IT) be so low because (comparatively speaking, perhaps, to other periods) many of those jobs are already gone?

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