CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent in July and nonfarm payrolls increased by +3,700 jobs over-the-month, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The June job gain was revised down slightly from its initial report to show a smaller gain. (+17,200 jobs versus +18,100 jobs).
Job growth accelerated in the May to July period posting average monthly gains of +9,500 jobs over this three-month period, more than the 6-month average monthly gain of +8,200 jobs between February and July 2018.
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“The state’s unemployment rate continued its downward trend in July and stands at its lowest point in 18 years,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “Illinois payroll employment also saw its largest over-the-year gain in more than two years.”
“The Illinois economy continues its comeback,” said Illinois Department of Commerce Director Sean McCarthy. “We are seeing what reduced red tape, a competitive economy, and investment in workforce and career pathways can do to promote growth and opportunity across the state.”
In July, the three industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Manufacturing (+2,400); Leisure and Hospitality (+2,000); and Professional and Business Services (+1,900). The industry sector with the largest payroll decline was: Government (-1,700).
Over-the-year, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +65,700 jobs with the largest gains in these industry sectors in July: Manufacturing (+14,800); Leisure and Hospitality (+13,100); and Government (+11,500). The industry sectors with the over-the-year declines were: Information Services (-3,600) and Mining (-100). Illinois nonfarm payrolls were up +1.1 percent over-the-year in sharp contrast to the nation’s +1.6 percent over-the-year gain in July. This was the fourth consecutive month with over-the-year payroll employment increases of more than 50,000 in Illinois.
The state’s unemployment rate is +0.3 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for July 2018, which fell to 3.9 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate is down -0.8 percentage points from a year ago when it was 5.0 percent. The Illinois jobless rate last stood at 4.2 percent in February 2000.
The number of unemployed workers decreased -1.3 percent from the prior month to 272,200, down -15.5 percent over the same month for the prior year. The labor force was about unchanged over-the-month and over-the-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. To help connect jobseekers to employers who are hiring, IDES’ maintains the state’s largest job search engine, IllinoisJoblink.com (IJL), which recently showed 55,888 posted resumes with 204,916 jobs available.
Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
| Jul-18 | Jun-18 | Jul-17 | 3 month Moving Average | Over the Month Change | Over the Year Change | |
| Illinois | 4.2% | 4.3% | 5.0% | 4.2% | -0.1 | -0.8 |
| U.S. | 3.9% | 4.0% | 4.3% | 3.9% | -0.1 | -0.4 |
Illinois Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Jobs – by Major Industry
| Industry | Jul-18 Current* | Jun-18* Prior mnth** | Jul-17 Year Ago | Over the Month | Over the Year | 3-month Moving Avg | Change from Previous 3-month Moving Avg |
| IL - Total Nonfarm | 6,128,900 | 6,125,200 | 6,063,200 | 3,700 | 65,700 | 6,120,700 | 9,500 |
| IL - Mining | 7,700 | 7,700 | 7,800 | 0 | -100 | 7,700 | 100 |
| IL - construction | 227,700 | 226,000 | 220,400 | 1,700 | 7,300 | 226,600 | 800 |
| IL - Manufacturing | 591,000 | 588,600 | 576,200 | 2,400 | 14,800 | 589,000 | 1,000 |
| IL - Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 1,214,500 | 1,214,000 | 1,210,100 | 500 | 4,400 | 1,215,800 | -1,200 |
| IL - Information | 82,400 | 83,200 | 96,000 | -800 | -3,600 | 93,100 | -600 |
| IL - Financial Activities | 399,200 | 399,000 | 391,600 | 200 | 7,600 | 399,200 | 200 |
| IL - Professional and Business Services | 947,200 | 945,300 | 943,200 | 1,900 | 4,000 | 944,400 | 2,500 |
| IL - Educational and Health Services | 929,400 | 930,700 | 922,800 | -1,300 | 6,600 | 929,700 | 1,100 |
| IL - Leisure and Hospitality | 623,200 | 621,200 | 610,100 | 2,000 | 13,100 | 619,900 | 2,600 |
| IL - Other Services | 252,300 | 253,500 | 252,200 | -1,200 | 100 | 252,600 | 300 |
| IL - Government | 844,300 | 846,000 | 832,800 | -1,700 | 11,500 | 842,900 | 3,000 |
*preliminary
**Final
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