Press Release - Thursday, March 21, 2013
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Illinois Adds 12,400 Jobs in February
CHICAGO – Illinois added 12,400 jobs in February, continuing a three-year pattern of job growth that has intensified in the past seven months. Job growth has encouraged more people to look for work, especially those who gave up during the recession. Their re-entry into the labor force pushed the February unemployment rate to 9.5 percent, according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). Data is seasonally adjusted.
“This is the counter-intuitive part of an economic recovery. If job creation is picking up, how can unemployment be picking up as well?” IDES Director Jay Rowell said. “Job growth gives workers who previously gave up their job search hope that they, too, will be hired. As such, they re-energize their work search, jump back into the labor force and push up the unemployment rate.”
Over the year, from February 2012 to February 2013, Illinois added +64,600 new private sector jobs. Illinois added +231,200 private sector jobs since January 2010 when job growth returned following nearly two years of consecutive monthly declines. Since, Illinois has recorded job growth in 28 of the past 38 months. Leading growth sectors are Professional and Business Services (+94,700); Education and Health Services (+53,700); and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+45,500). Government has lost the most jobs since January 2010, down -25,500.
In February 2013, the number of unemployed individuals increased +34,900 (+5.9 percent) to 629,400. Total unemployed has fallen -122,800 (-16.3 percent) since early 2010 when the state unemployment rate peaked at 11.3 percent for the months of January and February.
Illinois businesses are hiring. More than 100,000 help-wanted ads are on Illinoisjoblink.com, the IDES employment website that links job seekers with employers. Keyword matching technology increases the likelihood of a successful new hire and compares favorably to private efforts that cost hundreds of dollars. No-cost HR recruitment services are available at the website and at (877) 342-7533.
The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and seeking employment. A person who exhausts benefits, or is ineligible, still will be reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work. Historically, the national unemployment rate is lower than the state rate. The state rate has been lower than the national rate only six times since January 2000.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics requires annual revisions to employment and labor force data. Revisions occur each February. Data and analysis distributed prior to March 1, 2013 should be discarded.
Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates
|
|
February
2013 |
January
2013 |
February
2012 |
3-Month
Moving Avg. |
|
Illinois
|
9.5%
|
9.0%
|
8.9%*
|
9.0%
|
|
U.S.
|
7.7%
|
7.9%
|
8.3%*
|
7.8%
|
|
* Revised
|
||||
Illinois Seasonally Adjusted Non-farm Jobs – by Major Industry
Industry Title
February
2013*
January
2013**
February
2012**
Over the Month Change
Over the Year
Change
3-Month
Moving Avg.
Change from
Previous
3-Month
Mov. Avg.
Total Nonfarm
5,789,900
5,777,500
5,725,600
12,400
64,300
5,780,100
3,900
Mining
10,400
10,300
10,200
100
200
10,300
0
Construction
187,400
184,900
194,900
2,500
-7,500
185,200
1,200
Manufacturing
582,400
582,000
579,800
400
2,600
582,200
-1,400
Trade, Transportation, & Utilities
1,166,400
1,165,800
1,152,600
600
13,800
1,167,200
-100
Information
99,100
99,600
100,300
-500
-1,200
99,500
0
Financial Activities
371,000
370,900
364,400
100
6,600
370,200
900
Professional and Business Services
875,600
867,700
852,000
7,900
23,600
870,400
1,300
Educational and Health Services
875,200
875,300
857,600
-100
17,600
874,100
1,300
Leisure and Hospitality
540,100
539,000
532,300
1,100
7,800
538,900
900
Other Services
251,500
252,000
250,400
-500
1,100
251,300
300
Government
830,800
830,000
831,100
800
-300
830,800
-400
* Preliminary ** Revised
Notes:
• Illinois monthly labor force, unemployed and unemployment rates for years 2008-2012 have been revised as required by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In February of each year, monthly labor force data for all states are revised to reflect updated sum-of-states controls, Census population controls, seasonal factors, non-farm jobs and unemployment insurance claims inputs. Data were also smoothed to eliminate large monthly changes as a result of volatility in the monthly household (CPS) survey. Comments and tables distributed in prior Illinois unemployment rate news release materials should be discarded because any analysis, including records, previously cited might no longer be valid.
• Seasonally adjusted employment data for subsectors within industries are not available. For not seasonally adjusted jobs data with greater industry detail, go to http://www.ides.illinois.gov/Custom/Library/Statistic/CES/I_NSA_CES_Illinois_MSAs_Jobs_2000_to_Current.XLS .
• “Other Services” includes a wide range of activities in three broad categories: Personal and laundry; repair and maintenance; and religious, grant making, civic and professional organizations.
• Monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for Illinois and the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet Metropolitan Division are available at: http://www.ides.illinois.gov/page.aspx?item=2509 .
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