Illinois Reaches a Year and a Half of Consecutive Job Growth in November

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.1 percentage point to 4.7 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +17,500 in November, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The change in the rate reflects an increase in the number of workers looking to return to the labor force. The October monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +3,600 to +7,200 jobs. The October unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 4.6 percent. The November payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

In November, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment included: Leisure and Hospitality (+10,700), Professional and Business Services (+5,800), and Educational and Health Services (+3,500). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll declines included: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-4,300), Government (-1,700) and Manufacturing (-1,000).

"Over the past year and a half, Illinois has seen strong, consistent job growth throughout the state, attracting more and more workers to the labor market" said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. "As job growth continues to expand, IDES has the tools and resources jobseekers and employers need to match eligible workers with the best open positions."

"Illinois' consecutive job growth over the past year and a half serves as a testament to the state's positive business climate for job creators," said DCEO Director Sylvia I. Garcia. "As Illinois businesses continue to create jobs, DCEO remains focused on expanding training opportunities and helping job seekers across Illinois secure employment in high-growth industries."

The state's unemployment rate was +1.0 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for November, which was 3.7 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -0.4 percentage point from a year ago when it was at 5.1 percent.

Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll employment increased by +185,400 jobs, with gains across nearly all major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases included: Leisure and Hospitality (+44,600), Professional and Business Services (+42,500), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+31,000). The industry groups with jobs decreases included: Government (-2,100) and Mining (-200). In November, total nonfarm payrolls were up +3.1 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +3.3 percent in the nation.

The number of unemployed workers rose from the prior month, a +1.7 percent increase to 303,300 and was down -6.7 percent over the same month one year ago. The labor force was down slightly (-0.2 percent) over-the-month and up +1.3 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.

In May 2020, Governor Pritzker launched Get Hired Illinois, a new one-stop-shop website to help connect job seekers with hiring employers in real time. The site features virtual job fairs, no-cost virtual training, and includes IllinoisJobLink.com (IJL), the state's largest job search engine, which recently showed 55,031 posted resumes with144,836 available jobs