Growth in wage and salary earners in Illinois, unemployment rate rises in July

Below is a notice from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) today announced that the unemployment rate increased +0.2 percentage points to 5.2 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +12,900 in July, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released by IDES. The revised unemployment rate for June was 5.0 percent, unchanged from the preliminary unemployment rate for June. The monthly change in payrolls for June was revised from +10,400 to -4,300 jobs from the preliminary report. The unemployment rate and estimated payrolls for July reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

In July, the sectors with the largest monthly employment increases were: public services (+11,400), private education and health services (+3,400) and other services (+2,300). Sectors with monthly employment declines included manufacturing (-2,500), leisure and hospitality (-1,500) and trade, transport and utilities (-800).

“Stable job growth continues to drive Illinois’ labor market and create new opportunities for new and existing job seekers entering the state’s growing workforce,” said Lieutenant Governor Andy Manar“IDES continues to play its role as a critical, central resource in connecting workers and employers to help meet employment needs across the state.”

“As job growth continues across the state, DCEO remains committed To supportive Illinois' talented, well-educated workers, employers and job seekers”, said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. “A strong labor market strengthens economic growth throughout Illinois.”

The state's unemployment rate was 0.9 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate for July. The national unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in July, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. Illinois' unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points higher than the year-ago rate of 4.4 percent.

Compared to the previous year, the number of non-farm employees increased by +37,300. The industry groups with the largest employment increases were: public services (+34,200), private education and health services (+24,400) and other services (+11,200). The industry groups with the largest employment decreases were: professional and business services (-27,200), financial services (-6,300) and information services (-4,800). In July, the number of non-farm employees increased by +0.6 percent year-on-year in Illinois and by +1.6 percent nationally.

The number of unemployed was 341,600, up 4.2 percent from the previous month and 19.4 percent from the same month a year ago. The number of employed people increased 0.2 percent month-on-month and 1.4 percent year-on-year. The unemployment rate identifies people who are unemployed and seeking employment. People who are no longer receiving benefits or are no longer eligible for benefits are still included in the unemployment rate if they are actively looking for work.

IDES helps connect job seekers with employers who are hiring in a variety of ways, including hosting and co-hosting job fairs and hiring events with nationwide employment partners and maintaining Illinois JobLink (IJL), the state's largest job search engine. IJL is a tool used by job seekers to find jobs and by employers who can post open and vacant positions and search resumes. Recently, IJL showed 59,588 posted resumes with 85,766 available positions.

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates

Seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs in Illinois – by major industry

• The monthly seasonally adjusted labor market data for Illinois and all other states from 2019 through 2023 have been revised in accordance with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) requirements. The monthly historical revisions to state labor market estimates reflect new national benchmark controls, state labor force controls, outlier specifications, seasonal factors, and updated inputs to total nonfarm jobs and unemployment claims. Illinois labor market data have also been smoothed to eliminate large monthly changes resulting from volatility in the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) and national benchmarking. For these reasons, the commentary and tables of unemployment rates in previous press releases/materials may no longer be valid.
• The monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for Illinois and the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division are available here.
• Monthly seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll data for Illinois from 2019 to 2023 have been revised. To avoid potential survey errors, estimates are compared annually to general figures derived primarily from unemployment insurance tax reports.
• Non-seasonally adjusted employment data with industry details are available here. “Other services” includes activities in three broad categories: personal and laundry; repair and maintenance; and religious, grant, civic, and professional organizations. Seasonally adjusted data for subsectors within industries are not available.

About the Department of Employment Security

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) provides critical employment services to Illinois workers, job seekers and employers with resources such as job fairs, IllinoisJobLink.com and WorkShare IL, analyzes and disseminates actionable labor market information, and administers the Unemployment Insurance Program. To see the full range of IDES services and learn the latest news about the department, visit IDES.Illinois.gov.