County's December Jobless Rate Below 3%

The Effingham County unemployment rate for December 2019 was below 3%.

The 2.9% jobless rate was down from 4.1% in December 2018.

Non-farm employment in the county increased by 600 compared to last year.

Employment gains were posted in Government (+200), Educational and Health Services (+100), Manufacturing (+100), Wholesale Trade (+100), and Information (+100). Slight increases were reported in Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities, Other Services, Professional and Business Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Retail Trade. 

Slight decreases were reported in Construction, Natural Resources and Mining, and Financial Activities.

Area counties, and their December unemployments rates: Coles--3.5%, down from 5.1% in December 2018; Cumberland--3.3%, down from 4.7%; Shelby--3.8%, down from 4.9%; Clay--4.2%, down from 6.2%; Fayette--4.3%, down from 6.5%; and Jasper--3.8%, down from 5.4% in December 2018.

The Illinois jobless rate in December was 3.5%, while the national jobless rate was 3.4%.