Job seekers in Illinois have a reason to keep their chins up as the latest job report shows both a rise in unemployment and an increase in payroll jobs for November. According to data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), the state has seen a slight bump in the unemployment rate, going up by 0.1 percentage points to 4.7 percent. Yet at the same time, nonfarm payrolls swelled with an addition of 6,800 jobs. This dual force of change suggests the state's labor market remains active and dynamic.
The figures, sourced from preliminary data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, exposed that some sectors such as Manufacturing (+5,400 jobs) and Educational and Health Services (+3,800 jobs), showed significant job gains. However, not all industries fared similarly, with Professional and Business Services taking an 8,000-job hit, which is a stark contrast. The report provided by IDES highlights the October revision where the job loss deepened from -15,000 to -17,100 jobs, indicating persistent volatility in the job market.
"Today's report continues to reflect positive economic growth and a stable labor market," Deputy Governor Andy Manar stated, ensuring that IDES is "committed to providing the necessary resources that connect job seekers and employers to build on the strength and talent of the statewide workforce." As optimism remains in the state government about the road ahead, DCEO Director Kristin Richards adds that the payroll jobs increase reflects "the tenacity of the state's world-class workforce."
The churn in the state's employment numbers places Illinois's unemployment rate 1.0 percentage points higher than the national rate of 3.7 percent for November. Over the year, nonfarm payroll jobs experienced an increase of +54,200, signifying gains across most major industries, except for Professional and Business Services with a severe drop of -33,800 jobs. The IDES report also mentioned that the number of unemployed workers was 306,200, registering an uptick from both the previous month and the same month a year prior. The labor force numbers displayed a modest change, showing a 0.2 percent increase over the month but remaining virtually unchanged compared to the year before.
One shining beacon for job hunters has been the Get Hired Illinois initiative, launched by Governor Pritzker in June 2020. This program serves as a comprehensive resource, featuring real-time job connections, virtual job fairs, and no-cost virtual training. The state's largest job search engine part of the initiative, IllinoisJobLink.com, recorded 55,277 posted resumes, with 104,442 available jobs—a hopeful sign for those traversing the sometimes tumultuous waters of the job market.
