The Illinois unemployment rate remained at 6.6 percent for the month of October, but the state’s seven-month streak of payroll gains ended as 2,000 jobs were lost, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Statewide unemployment data is seasonally adjusted, which means any seasonal or regular patterns that affect workforce numbers are reflected in the statistics. However, people who have dropped out of the workforce are not counted in the monthly jobless reports.
Industries that shed the most jobs were information, financial, and business and professional services – a net loss of 3,900. Conversely, the education and health industry led the state in job growth with a gain of 4,600. Employers added a total of just 900 private-sector jobs, and government employment dropped by 3,100, accounting for the majority of job losses. The number of unemployed individuals actively searching for work was 429,000, according to IDES.
| Industry | Aug-14 | Sep-14 | Oct-14 | Over-the-Month Change |
| Total Nonfarm | 5,844,300 | 5,858,300 | 5,856,300 | -2,000 |
| Mining | 9,900 | 10,000 | 9,900 | -100 |
| Construction | 202,200 | 204,000 | 204,400 | +400 |
| Manufacturing | 574,800 | 572,600 | 573,500 | +900 |
| Trade, Transportation, & Utilities | 1,169,000 | 1,171,700 | 1,171,600 | -100 |
| Information | 97,300 | 97,600 | 96,100 | -1,500 |
| Financial Activities | 368,900 | 369,800 | 368,400 | -1,400 |
| Professional and Business Services | 904,500 | 909,700 | 908,700 | -1,000 |
| Educational and Health | 883,500 | 885,400 | 890,000 | +4,600 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 549,500 | 547,500 | 547,900 | +400 |
| Other Services | 250,500 | 255,400 | 254,100 | -1,300 |
| Government | 834,200 | 834,600 | 831,700 | -3,100 |
“After months of strong growth, private-sector job growth slowed somewhat, but it was a decline in government employment that led to October’s decline in jobs,” said IDES Director Jay Rowell in a statement.
While the halt in momentum for private-sector job creation is certainly worrisome, the Illinois unemployment rate was significantly higher one year ago — 9.1 percent in October 2013. The U.S. unemployment rate currently sits at 5.8 percent.
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