November Jobs in Illinois increase +400 while Unemployment Rate rises to 5.7

[December 18, 2015]    CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that Illinois’ nonfarm payroll employment gained +400 jobs and the unemployment rate in November rose 0.3 percentage points to 5.7 percent, based on preliminary data released by the Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Illinois’ average job growth since the employment recovery began in January 2010 remains below the national average, and employment will not recover from the 2007-2009 recession until January 2017, according to IDES analysts. The nation is currently 3.3 percent above its prior peak level of employment.

“The increased unemployment rate is primarily the result of more people reentering the labor force looking for work,” said Jeff Mays, Director, IDES. “While the increase in the unemployment rate is disappointing, our challenge for the coming year is to grow more jobs to create opportunities for more Illinois workers.”

IDES’ IllinoisJoblink.com (IJL) program, which helps jobseekers connect with hiring companies, recently showed that 70,040 resumes were posted and 159,138 help-wanted ads were available. The Department continues to conduct outreach through employer seminars and hiring fairs to better connect jobseekers to employers.

The state’s unemployment rate is higher than the national unemployment rate reported for November, which held at 5.0 percent. In November, the unemployment rate stood 0.5 percentage points below the unemployment rate a year ago when it was 6.2 percent. The number of unemployed workers increased +5.1 percent from the prior month to 371,700 and was down -8.4 percent over the same month for the prior year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and are seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.

The BLS revised slightly October nonfarm payroll employment data, which showed a gain (+13,700) in Illinois rather than the preliminary estimate of a larger gain (+14,100). In November, the three industry sectors with the largest gains in employment were: Other Services (+2,000); Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+1,200); and Leisure and Hospitality (+900). The three industry sectors with the largest declines in employment were Construction (-1,500); Professional and Business Services (-1,200); and Education and Health Services (-1,100).

Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +35,700 jobs with the largest gains in Professional and Business Services (+15,700); Education and Health Services (+12,500); and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+8,600). A few sectors posted small over-the-year declines in November but the two largest were: Manufacturing (- 12,800); and Mining (-1,100).

“While we continue to see improvements in the growth of jobs and the labor force in Illinois, these gains are not shared equally,” Illinois Department of Commerce Director Jim Schultz said. “The manufacturing and mining industries continue to hemorrhage middle class jobs, while our neighboring states continue to grow. We need to significantly reform our state’s business climate if we want to reverse the flow of manufacturing jobs out of Illinois and start growing again.”

[Illinois Department of Employment Security]

Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates

November 2015		October 2015	November 2014 *	3-Month Moving Avg.	Over-the- Month Change	Over-the- Year Change
Illinois	5.7%	5.4%	6.2%	5.5%	0.3	-0.5
U.S.	5.0%	5.0%	5.8%	5.0%	0.0	-0.8
*  Revised

Illinois Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Jobs – by Major Industry

Industry Title	November* 2015	October** 2015	November 2014	Over the Month Change	Over the Year Change	3-Month Moving Avg.	Change From Previous 3-Month Mov. Avg.
Total Nonfarm	5,927,200	5,926,800	5,891,500	400	35,700	5,922,400	3,700
Mining	9,200	9,200	10,300	0	-1,100	9,200	0
Construction	209,200	210,700	205,600	-1,500	3,600	209,800	0
Manufacturing	566,500	566,600	579,300	-100	-12,800	567,300	-1,300
Trade,  Transportation,  & Utilities	1,183,800	1,182,600	1,175,200	1,200	8,600	1,182,000	-800
Information	97,600	97,600	98,400	0	-800	97,700	0
Financial Activities	368,900	368,800	369,100	100	-200	368,800	-600
Professional  and  Business Services	937,000	938,200	921,300	-1,200	15,700	938,100	500
Educational  and  Health Services	904,500	905,600	892,000	-1,100	12,500	902,900	2,300
Leisure  and Hospitality	563,200	562,300	556,300	900	6,900	561,700	400
Other  Services	256,400	254,400	252,600	2,000	3,800	254,500	2,000
Government	830,900 *Preliminary **Final	830,800	831,400	100	-500	830,400	1,100

·         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). 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/Illinois_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.

About IDES - IDES connects employers and jobseekers, provides unemployment insurance to eligible individuals, produces labor market data and protects taxpayers from unemployment insurance fraud. Visit the Department’s website at www.ides.illinois.gov for more information and join IDES on Facebook.