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* Halfway decent news for a change. From IDES…
The Illinois unemployment rate hit a new five-year low in April when it fell to 7.9 percent, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. More people working pushed the rate down 0.5 points, the lowest since December 2008 and largest monthly decline in the history of this data series which began in 1976. […]
In April 2014, the number of unemployed individuals fell -35,700 (-6.5 percent) to 516,000. Total unemployed has fallen -237,500 (-31.5 percent) since January 2010 when the rate peaked at 11.4 percent. The unemployment rate fell even though preliminary estimates indicate 7,800 fewer private sector jobs in April and 29,300 more jobs than one year ago. The unemployment rate and job creation numbers can move independently of each other because they come from different surveys.
The unemployment rate is in line with other economic touch points. First-time jobless claims have been trending lower for the past four years and at 48,697 in April are 20 percent lower than one year ago. Numbers from the independent Conference Board’s Help Wanted OnLine Survey show Illinois employers in April advertised for more than 200,000 jobs (201,500 seasonally adjusted) and 85 percent sought full-time employment.
Illinois employers added +249,600 private sector jobs since the low point of employment in Illinois. Leading sectors are Professional and Business Services (+114,600, +14.6 percent); Education and Health Services (+55,900, +6.8 percent); and Leisure and Hospitality (+38,000, +7.4 percent). Government (-25,600, -3.0 percent) continues to lead job loss.
* However, Illinois has lost 8,900 manufacturing jobs in the past twelve months, according to IDES, including a whopping 3,500 last month alone.
And while 20,000 new jobs were gained in the professional and business services category during the past 12 months, 7,100 jobs in that category disappeared in April.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:03 pm
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–And while 20,000 new jobs were gained in the professional and business services category during the past 12 months, 7,100 jobs in that category disappeared in April.==
Seasonal tax preparation, I’m guessing. Happens every year.
Not going to complain too much about dropping half a point and getting back to Dec. 2008, but still a ways to go.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:21 pm
I guess those manufacturers got scared off by Madigan’s move on EDGE credits lol. Wouldn’t be surprised if the tinfoilers actually believed this.
Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:46 pm
actually the Madigan EDGE reform will have more companies signing up. We are certain the Celebrants of Failure (aka GOPies) cannot be too happy.
Listening to the GOPies whine on the floor it shows how really thin the brain trust…sending up DwightLite is really tired.
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 2:56 pm
==Government (-25,600, -3.0 percent) continues to lead job loss==
Someting to keep in mind next time you hear someone screaming about the miserable business climate or our bloated state governement workforce.
Comment by The Doc Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:26 pm
Geez, I guess some of the Usual U-Haul Suspects can’t handle a half point drop in the unemployment rate.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:42 pm
The manufacturing job losses will hurt more in the long run than the numbers would imply. Those type jobs were the anchor for a lot of the semi-skilled workforce; they required an infrastructure of suppliers and their multiplication factor was often higher than perceived by common wisdom.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:45 pm
The unemployment rate went down because people quit looking for jobs. Thats a bad thing. 7,800 less jobs in Illinois than in April. Spin it however you like less people working is not a good thing.
” The total number of unemployed individuals in the state fell by 6.5 percent to 516,000. That’s despite the fact that early estimates suggest that there were 7,800 fewer private sector jobs in April.
The unemployment rate counts those who are out of work and seeking employment. When a person gives up their search, they are no longer counted.
Comment by fed up Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:51 pm
An unanswered question here is how much of this drop in unemployment RATE is due to people leaving the workforce and retiring?
The real question here is how many TOTAL, full time jobs do we have in Illinois compared to peak employment levels in the Bush years.
I believe IDES just looks at jobless claim statistics. What state agency tracks totla employment numbers abd what do THEY say about the job situation in Illinois?
Anyone know what the median and mean job income in Illinois is compared to the Bush years?
Comment by Arizona Bob Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:54 pm
–Illinois employers added +249,600 private sector jobs since the low point of employment in Illinois–
How is that not more people employed, Fed Up?
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 3:58 pm
Arizona Bob is one hell of a troll. I’ll give him that.
Comment by Chi Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 4:01 pm
You can always leave it to people to spin good news into bad news and this blog has some of those people.
@Arizona Bob:
Bush years? Who cares. Do you have a point somewhere in that nonsense question?
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 4:34 pm
== Anyone know what the median and mean job income in Illinois is compared to the Bush years? ==
The federal census data should have that information …
Comment by RNUG Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 4:35 pm
7.9% !!! Woo hoo! Lowest since before Pat Quinn took OFFICE–this must mean that “Quinn Economics” are WORKing! (Sorry to burst your “Hands-On” GTCT-Model of Perfection for ALL Illinois Businesses’ Bubble, Brucie, while you’re busy defending those hundreds of Lawsuits–pfff…!
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Thursday, May 15, 14 @ 8:02 pm
Employment numbers would be great without the current political mood to fire state/local govt workers and teachers. I’ll say it again as it always bears repeating. The economy does not know a private dollar from a public dollar. Each dollar spent multiplies itself many times over.
Comment by Pensioner Friday, May 16, 14 @ 8:09 am
Az Bob an attempt at humor?
“The real question here is how many TOTAL, full time jobs do we have in Illinois compared to peak employment levels in the Bush years.”
Since Bush created the worst economic crash in 80 years this is indeed rich.
Comment by Pensioner Friday, May 16, 14 @ 8:13 am
Always enjoyable to me to pick out the conservatives spinning bad news out of good.
Comment by Pensioner Friday, May 16, 14 @ 8:15 am
Creating jobs is easy. Just turn that WalMart or burger flipping job into a part-time job and one can make the job creation number almost anything they like.
However we can’t even do that!!
Look people. The BLS reported Illinois non-farm payroll of 5,814,900 in Mar 2014.
Nov. 1997 Illinois non-farm payroll was 5,819,100
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO Illinois had more people employed then today. So where did all the new college grads go for the last FOURTEEN YEARS!
http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.il.htm
Comment by oz Friday, May 16, 14 @ 8:21 am
Also WRT.
“Numbers from the independent Conference Board’s Help Wanted OnLine Survey show Illinois employers in April advertised for more than 200,000 jobs (201,500 seasonally adjusted) and 85 percent sought full-time employment. ”
It’s cheap to post a job ad now days but advertising a job opening doesn’t mean that the job exists.
Job openings are advertised for many other reasons.
Sprint, Radio Shack, Sears, JC Penny, the list goes on all closing stores and doing mass layoffs and yet you walk by there stores and there’s the sign in the window “WE’RE HIRING”
Well if they are hiring it’s because they’re churning the workforce to lower wages or lower hours which brings us to the another reason you post job ads when the positions don’t exist.ho
I remember a short time ago Rahm was putting out the propaganda that AAR corp had a qualified worker shortage. “They just could not find welders and mechanics” as part of some city college promotion speech.
Meanwhile thousands of those exact jobs were being cut across the country including within AAR corp itself.
So who we kidding? They advertise a shortage to entice the students to pursue these careers so that wages can be driven lower. You don’t want to tell the kids there’s a glut of applicants now do you?
Comment by oz Friday, May 16, 14 @ 8:35 am
Unemployment % nationally dropped last month with headlines screaming more than 200,000+ jobs added. Buried in about the 5th or 6th paragraph was this little gem—-More than 800,000 people left the workforce, which was the main reason the % dropped. Does anyone really believe the unemployment rate in IL dropped from 8.4% to 7.9%??? REALLY?
Comment by Wally Friday, May 16, 14 @ 8:39 am