ILLINOIS (WAND) – Statistics showed Illinois has reached its lowest monthly unemployment rate in state history.
Numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in August 2019 showed the rate sat at 4 percent, which is 0.2 percent lower than the unemployment rate in July 2019 (4.2 percent). In August 2018, the unemployment rate was also 4.2 percent.
While the rate is the lowest it’s been in Illinois, it’s still 0.3 percent higher than the United States unemployment rate from August 2019 (3.7 percent).
“We are pleased that Illinois’ unemployment rate is at its lowest level ever and will continue to focus on making sure that our economy works for everyone,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “This administration prioritized creating an environment where Illinois could create more good jobs that raise wages for working people in this state. That’s why we raised the minimum wage, balanced the budget, invested heavily in education and passed a bipartisan capital bill that rebuilds our roads and bridges and lays the foundation for long term economic growth – and are attracting good jobs to the state.”
The number of unemployed workers in Illinois fell by 3.7 percent to 262,500 people – also a record low for the state. That number marked a decrease of 4 percent over the same month for 2018.
Nonfarm payroll employment saw an increase of 65,500 jobs from August 2018 to August 2019. The highest gains happened in the industry sectors of educational and health services (+17,900), leisure and hospitality (+14,300) and trade, transportation and utilities (+10,300). Only information (-4,000) and mining (-500) saw declines in the same time period.
Click on the charts attached to this story for more information.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
