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IDES bemoans slow job growth

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Illinois

* Press release…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.1 percentage points to 4.8 percent in July and nonfarm payrolls increased by +2,100 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. June job growth was revised down to show an increase of +6,400 jobs rather than the preliminary estimate of +8,600 jobs.

July’s monthly payroll gain kept over-the-year job growth well below the national average. In the first seven months of 2017, payroll growth is growing twice as fast as 2016, but growing at half the pace of 2015 for the same seven-month period.

“The strong employment growth exhibited in the U.S. is not being felt in Illinois,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Nonfarm payroll growth in the state remains anemic and labor force participation continues to decline.”

“The modest gains in Illinois continue to lag behind the rest of the nation,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We need reforms to provide business owners relief and incentives to make our state not only competitive, but attractive to bring good jobs back to Illinois.”

In July, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Professional and Business Services (+6,200); Leisure and Hospitality (+4,000); and Other Services (+1,800). The largest payroll declines were in the following sectors: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-3,700); Education and Health Services (-3,200); and Construction (-1,800).

Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +33,200 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in July: Professional and Business Services (+20,700); Leisure and Hospitality (+11,600); and Financial Activities (+9,500). Industry sectors with the largest over-the-year declines include: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-10,700); Construction (-4,300); and Government (-2,300). The +0.7 percent over-the-year gain in Illinois is about one-half as strong as the +1.5 percent gain posted by the nation in July.

The state’s unemployment rate is +0.5 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for July 2017, which decreased to 4.3 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -1.0 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.8 percent. At 4.8 percent, the Illinois jobless rate stands -0.9 percentage points lower than January 2017.

The number of unemployed workers increased +2.0 percent from the prior month to 308,200, down -18.6 percent over the same month for the prior year. This was the second consecutive over-the-month gain in the number of unemployed persons. The labor force decreased -0.4 percent over-the-month and declined by -1.2 percent in July over the prior year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:14 pm

Comments

So what, our elected officials are more concerned with personal battles than making Illinois the “go to” state for business. And yes, I meant business because without business there aren’t jobs.

Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:17 pm
Sean McCarthy. “We need reforms to provide business owners relief and incentives to make our state not only competitive, but attractive to bring good jobs back to Illinois.”

No actually we needed a budget passed to start paying our bills to make sure we didn’t see additional declines in “Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-3,700); Education and Health Services (-3,200); and Construction (-1,800)”.

How many of those job losses were possibly budget related?

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:20 pm
That quote from Sean McCarthy looks very similar to other IDES press releases. Is he a robot?

Comment by Baloneymous Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:25 pm
We had budgets in the past and lagged behind the rest of our neighboring states in employment growth. Then you take into account that good paying factory jobs are going to other states as well.

Comment by Arock Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:27 pm
Agreed, Arock. That is why that it is silly that a “Republican” governor wouldn’t actually try to accomplish some real pro-business initiatives instead of just trying to destroy labor unions.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:31 pm
===The Illinois unemployment rate is down -1.0 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.8 percent.===

Buried deep at the bottom of this “glass is half empty” release. Pretty much any other Governor in state history leads with this sentence. Strange.

It really bugs me that this governor always seems to see what’s wrong with Illinois. He’s always running down his state. Does he ever focus on anything positive or would that undermine his radical agenda?

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:31 pm
47th Ward- I think Rauner just has a very skewed way of feeling happy.

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:37 pm
Rauner can figure out that going from 3.75% income tax to 4.95% is a 32% increase, but can’t celebrate that unemployment is down more than 15% in Illinois since last year?

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:45 pm
@- Arock - Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 2:27 pm:

===take into account that good paying factory jobs are going to other states===

Most of the good paying factory jobs are going

to China and Mexico.

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 3:44 pm
The neighboring states have had an increase in manufacturing while Illinois has lost those jobs. There is actually growth going on in manufacturing in the US.

Comment by Arock Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 4:11 pm
Illinois historic employed high:

6.34M, 11/07.

Low of Great Recession:

5.86M 11/09

Current:

6.16M, 06/17.

Charts, 1976 to Date:

https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 4:12 pm
Arock; How much have neighboring states paid for those jobs?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 5:13 pm
===because without business there aren’t jobs.===

Without consumers there aren’t businesses. There, fixed it for you. You’re welcome.

Comment by PublicServant Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 6:00 pm
Tax increases, large state debt, and a poor state outlook.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 6:18 pm
“Tax increases, large state debt, and a poor state outlook.”
What is Kansas after Brownback?
I’ll take conservative hack jobs for 400, Alex.

Comment by igotgotgotgotnotime Thursday, Aug 17, 17 @ 7:53 pm