Illinois Jobless Rate Up in August, but Number of Jobs Up as Well

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced that the unemployment rate rose .1% to 4.5 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +4,100 in August, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The July unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 4.4 percent.

 

In August, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment include: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+4,500), Construction (+3,500), and Government (+1,500). The industry sectors that reported the largest monthly payroll declines include: Manufacturing (-3,200), Professional and Business Services (-2,600), and Information (-500).

 

The state’s unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for August, which was 3.7 percent, up 0.2 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down 1.5 percentage points from a year ago when it was at 6.0 percent.

 

Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 239,700 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases include: Leisure and Hospitality (+58,600), Professional and Business Services (+51,900), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+50,800). The Mining sector reported no change in payroll employment over-the-year. In August, total nonfarm payrolls were up 4.1 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up 4.0 percent in the nation.