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State unemployment rate unchanged, still lags a point behind national average

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Illinois

* IDES…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +12,800 in May, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The April monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +9,300 to +6,400 jobs. The April unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 4.6 percent. The May payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

In May, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Leisure and Hospitality (+6,000), Educational and Health Services (+3,300) and Construction (+2,600). The industry sectors that reported monthly payroll declines were: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-800), Other Services (-800) and Mining (-100).

“We’re pleased to see the continuation of Illinois’ economic growth,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “The Pritzker Administration, alongside IDES and local partners, continues to work toward a stronger and more sustainable workforce system. We encourage job seekers and businesses across the state to visit Get Hired Illinois or IllinoisJobLink.com for today’s latest resources.”

“Over the past year, Illinois has made long-term sustainable progress in adding jobs and lowering unemployment since the state fully re-opened in June 2021,” said DCEO Director Sylvia I. Garcia. “We’re encouraged to see gains in the leisure and hospitality, construction and education sectors and continue to support our workforce through training and programs for job seekers.”

The state’s unemployment rate was +1.0 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for May, which was 3.6 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -1.9 percentage points from a year ago when it was at 6.5 percent.

Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +249,700 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases were: Leisure and Hospitality (+84,600), Professional and Business Services (+43,500), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+41,900). The Mining sector (-300) was the only industry sector that reported an over-the-year decline in payroll employment. In May, total nonfarm payrolls were up +4.3 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +4.5 percent in the nation.

The number of unemployed workers was up from the prior month, a +0.5 percent increase to 297,800 and was down -27.1 percent over the same month one year ago. The labor force was up +0.2 percent over-the-month and up +2.5 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.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 12:17 pm

Comments

“State unemployment rate unchanged, still lags a point behind national average”

Creative use of language in that release. Said another way, based on BLS data Illinois’s unemployment rate ranks 45 out of 50.

https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm

Comment by Donnie Elgin Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 1:01 pm
Creative? What makes the report creative? The report is all about the numbers.

Comment by Da big bad wolf Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 1:49 pm
= Illinois’s unemployment rate ranks 45 out of 50.=

Not sure if you caught this ditty…

=The Illinois unemployment rate was down -1.9 percentage points from a year ago when it was at 6.5 percent.=

So, improving. Maybe that is not in your “creative” vocabulary.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 1:59 pm
I tried looking on the IDES web site but does the non teachers like bus drivers, parapros, lunch ladies become eligible for unemployment. I thought no for many years but last 2 years they received it because I was told of Covid. So that confused me.

Comment by Snowman61 Thursday, Jun 16, 22 @ 2:45 pm