SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -0.1 percentage point to 4.7 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +18,300 in March, based on preliminary dataprovided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The February monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +19,600 to +25,100 jobs. The February unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report,remaining at 4.8 percent. The March payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th.
In March, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Professional and Business (+9,700), Financial Activities (+3,800), and Leisure and Hospitality (+3,500). The industry sectors that reported monthly payroll declineswere: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-3,500), Other Services (-1,200) and Mining (-100).
“We are pleased to see another positive sign of Illinois’ continued economic growth,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “IDES and the Pritzker Administration are committed to innovating and building an even stronger workforce system. Workers and businesses across Illinois can leverage the latest resources by visiting Get Hired Illinois or IllinoisJobLink.com today.”
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.1 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for March, which was 3.6 percent, down -0.2 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -2.0 percentage pointsfrom a year ago when it was at 6.7 percent.
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +238,300 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases were: Leisure and Hospitality (+87,600), Professional and Business Services(+55,000), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+40,200). Construction was the only industry that reported a decrease (-700). In March, total nonfarm payrolls were up +4.1 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +4.5 percent in the nation.