Prairie State Wire

In August, Illinois saw a mix of job gains and declines across various industry sectors. Educational and Health Services led with an increase of 4,400 jobs, followed by Leisure and Hospitality with 800, and Manufacturing with 400. However, Professional and Business Services experienced a decline of 3,300 jobs, while Trade, Transportation and Utilities lost 1,100 jobs, and Other Services decreased by 700.

Deputy Governor Andy Manar commented on the situation: “Illinois continues to benefit from long-term, post-pandemic statewide job growth and continued strengthening of the labor market.” He emphasized the state's efforts to enhance workforce investments and support a diverse labor force.

Kristin Richards, Director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), remarked on the stability in employment figures: “Stable employment figures this month combined with significant long-term improvements in the unemployment rate and job growth speak to the economic trajectory in Illinois.”

The state's unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points compared to the national average for August. The national unemployment rate stood at 3.8 percent for that month. Despite this increase from July's figures, Illinois' unemployment rate showed a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from August last year when it was at 4.5 percent.

Over the past year, nonfarm payroll jobs in Illinois increased by 75,600 positions. The most significant gains were seen in Educational and Health Services (+39,900), Government (+28,400), and Leisure and Hospitality (+25,200). Conversely, Professional and Business Services (-15,300), Manufacturing (-9,400), and Information (-5,200) reported declines.

The number of unemployed workers reached 266,200 in August—an increase of 4.4 percent from July but an overall decrease of 8 percent compared to last year. Meanwhile, the labor force remained almost unchanged over-the-month but slightly declined by -0.2 percent over-the-year.

Governor Pritzker launched Get Hired Illinois in June 2020 to assist job seekers by connecting them with employers through virtual job fairs and training opportunities via IllinoisJobLink.com.

For detailed information about nonfarm jobs across major industries or historical data revisions made by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), interested parties can refer to resources provided by IDES or visit their official website at IDES.Illinois.gov.