|
 The state’s unemployment rate is slightly higher than the national
unemployment rate reported for January at 5.7 percent. Nonfarm
payroll employment, however, shed -7,100 jobs, based on preliminary
data released by the Department and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of
work and seeking employment. A person who exhausts or is ineligible
for benefits will still be reflected in the unemployment rate if
they actively seek work.
In January, three industry sectors posted large gains in employment:
Leisure and Hospitality (+3,300); Educational and Health Services
(+2,300); and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+1,600). Four
industry sectors reported large declines in employment: Professional
and Business Services (-5,500); Government (-2,700); Construction
(-2,500); and Manufacturing (-2,100).
“While a month-to-month decrease in nonfarm payrolls is not unusual,
it’s clear Illinois has more work to do to catch up with other
states,” said Director Jeffrey Mays. “Our economy is simply not yet
firing on all cylinders.”
Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +65,000 jobs
with the largest gains in Professional and Business Services
(+16,700); Educational and Health Services (+15,200); and
Construction (+11,100). One sector posted a decline in January over
the prior year: Financial Activities (-1,400).
In January, the unemployment rate decreased 0.1 percentage point
from December to 6.1 percent and stood 2.1 percentage points below
the unemployment rate a year ago when it was 8.2 percent. The number
of unemployed workers decreased by 0.8 percent from the prior month
to 398,500 and is down -25.5 percent over the same month for the
prior year.
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“Growth in business and economic activity is critical to adding jobs
throughout the State,” said Jim Schultz, Acting Director of the
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “As
Governor Rauner has clearly and repeatedly emphasized, this
Administration is determined to increase growth in business activity
to create job opportunities, remedy the State’s severe fiscal
problems and improve the lives of Illinoisans.”
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] About
IDES
IDES connects employers to job-seekers, helps unemployed individuals
find work, provides unemployment insurance to eligible individuals,
produces labor market data and protects taxpayers from unemployment
insurance fraud. One of its programs, IllinoisJoblink.com is the
state’s job-board featuring Resume Builder and Resunate. Resume
Builder helps individuals create effective resumes which are
immediately matched to existing job postings by employers seeking
those skills. Resunate is a tool that helps optimize resumes,
provides candidates with job postings that interest them, and links
information by skillset that employers are looking for, and job
seekers may possess. Resunate is free if the job seeker connects
directly from IllinoisJobLink.com, regardless of employment status
or eligibility for unemployment insurance. Log on to
IllinoisJoblink.com for more information or visit the Department’s
website at www.ides.illinois.gov.
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Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
Illinois Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Jobs – by Major Industry
Notes:
·
Monthly 1976-2014 labor force data for Illinois, and all other
states, have been revised using new, fourth generation state
time-series models, as required by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS). Additionally, as is the case each February, the
monthly historical revisions to state labor force estimates reflect
new national benchmark controls, state working-age population
controls, seasonal factors, as well as updated total nonfarm jobs
and unemployment benefits claims inputs. Illinois labor force data
were also smoothed to eliminate large monthly changes as a result of
volatility in the monthly Census Population Survey (CPS) and
national benchmarking. For these reasons, Comments and tables
citing unemployment rates in previous state news releases/materials
might no longer be valid.
·
Monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for Illinois and the
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division are
available at:
http://www.ides.illinois.gov/LMI/Pages/Illnois_Chicago_Metropolitan_Area_Unemployment_Rates.aspx
·
Not seasonally adjusted jobs data with industry detail are available
at
http://www.ides.illinois.gov/LMI/Pages/CES.aspx
“Other Services” include activities in three broad categories:
Personal and laundry; repair and maintenance; and religious, grant
making, civic and professional organizations. Seasonally adjusted
employment data for subsectors within industries are not available. |
