Statewide payroll jobs up, slight increase to August statewide employment

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced that the unemployment rate rose +0.1 percentage point to 4.5 percent, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In August, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment include: Trade, Transportation and Utilities Construction, and Government. The industry sectors that reported the largest monthly payroll declines include: Manufacturing, Professional and Business Services, and Information. The number of unemployed workers was up from the prior month, a +1.1 percent increase to 290,200 and was down -23.0 percent over the same month one year ago. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
“The increase to statewide jobs and the continued historic decrease in continued claims levels for unemployment insurance benefits point to a strengthening Illinois labor market,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar.