National slowdown impacts Illinois' economy:
Rate ticks to 10 pct  

[October 21, 2011]  CHICAGO -- The September seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Illinois ticked up to 10 percent despite the addition of 1,600 new jobs, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The data support the conclusions by most private economists that the recovery from the national recession continues, although at a slower pace than earlier this year. 

"Consumer confidence drives the national economy and affects our economic growth here in Illinois, so these are not surprising figures," IDES Director Jay Rowell said. "Job growth at this stage in the economic cycle often is accompanied by a slight increase in the unemployment rate. But a broader confidence must be restored at the national level before individual states will show greater widespread growth."  

In September 2011, the number of unemployed individuals increased by 10,500 to 663,300, a 1.6 percent increase compared with August. Total unemployed has declined 76,800, or 10.4 percent, since January 2010, when the state unemployment rate peaked at 11.2 percent.

The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and seeking employment. Individuals who exhaust their benefits or are ineligible still will be reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work. 

The IDES supports economic stability by administering unemployment benefits, collecting business contributions to fund those benefits, connecting employers with qualified job-seekers, and providing economic information to assist career planning and economic development. It does so through nearly 60 offices, including Illinois workNet centers.

[Text from Illinois Department of Employment Security file]