Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) reported an increase in the state's unemployment rate to 4.7% in November, a rise of 0.1 percentage points from October. Despite this increase, nonfarm payrolls saw a growth of 6,800 jobs for the same month. This data was provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and reflects activities during the week including November 12th.

In November, manufacturing led job gains with an addition of 5,400 positions, followed by educational and health services with 3,800 jobs and other services with 1,900 jobs. Conversely, professional and business services saw a decline of 8,000 jobs while information lost 100 positions.

Deputy Governor Andy Manar commented on these developments stating that "today’s report continues to reflect positive economic growth and a stable labor market." He emphasized IDES's commitment to supporting job seekers and employers as they prepare for new opportunities in the coming year.

DCEO Director Kristin Richards also highlighted the resilience of Illinois' workforce saying that "payroll jobs continue to increase across Illinois as the year comes to a close," attributing this to state-provided resources for employers and employees.

The national unemployment rate was reported at 3.7% for November, showing a decrease from previous months, while Illinois' rate increased slightly compared to last year when it stood at 4.6%.

Over the past year, nonfarm payroll jobs have grown by over 54,200 positions across various industries such as educational and health services (+33,200), government (+28,700), and leisure and hospitality (+16,300). However, declines were noted in professional and business services (-33,800), information (-5,800), and manufacturing (-5,500).

The number of unemployed individuals rose by 3.2% from October reaching approximately 306,200 people seeking work. The labor force experienced a slight monthly increase but remained stable over the year.

Governor Pritzker's initiative launched in June 2020 called Get Hired Illinois aims to connect job seekers with potential employers through virtual fairs and training programs via platforms like IllinoisJobLink.com which currently lists over 104 thousand available positions against more than fifty-five thousand resumes posted.