Jobless rate in Illinois falls to 8.8 percent in March
BY FRANCINE KNOWLES Business Reporter fknowles@suntimes.com April 19, 2012 12:12PM
Updated: April 19, 2012 6:31PM
The unemployment rate in Illinois fell to 8.8 percent in March from 9.1 percent in February and from 9.3 percent in March 2011, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday.
It was the seventh straight month of declines. The last time the rate was at 8.8 percent was February 2009.
The state added 9,100 jobs since February 2012 and 31,700 since March 2011.
“The monthly snapshot of job growth and lower unemployment adds to the overall trend of an improving Illinois economy,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said in a statement. “This positive momentum should continue despite the likelihood that uneven job growth might prevent the unemployment rate from falling as quickly as we would like.”
The number of unemployed in the state fell by 17,200 to 581,200.
The biggest month-over-month gains in employment were in professional and business services, up 8,100; leisure and hospitality, up 5,500; and manufacturing, up 5,200.
The biggest gains since March 2011 were in professional and business services, up 30,600; manufacturing up 15,300 and leisure and hospitality, up 10,200.
The biggest job losses since February were in construction, down 5,000; and other services, down 2,100.
Year-over-year, the biggest declines were in construction down 9,500; and trade, transportation and utilities, down 5,700, and other services, down 5,100.
