SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS (April 29, 2024) — Over-the-year, total non-farm jobs increased in nine metropolitan areas, decreased in four, and was unchanged in one for the year ending March 2024, according to data released Thursday, April 25, by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, the unemployment rate increased in eleven metropolitan areas, decreased in two, and remained unchanged in one.
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+2.2%, +2,700), the Elgin Metro (+1.6%, +4,100), and the Kankakee MSA (+1.2%, +500). The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year decreases in total non-farm jobs were the Springfield MSA (-4.0%, -4,400), the Decatur MSA (-3.9%, -1,900), and the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA (-1.4%, -2,500). In the Chicago Metro, total nonfarm jobs were down -0.1% or -4,400. Total nonfarm jobs were unchanged in the Carbondale-Marion MSA. Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Government (thirteen areas); Private Education and Health Services (ten areas); Mining and Construction and Other Services (nine areas each); and Wholesale Trade (eight areas).
Total Nonfarm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted) – March 2024
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Chicago Metro (+0.8 point to 4.7%), the Bloomington MSA (+0.6 point to 4.2%), and the Illinois section of St. Louis MSA (+0.6 point to 4.4%). The unemployment rate decreased in the Rockford MSA (-0.5 point to 6.7%) and the Decatur MSA (-0.2 point to 6.2%) and was unchanged in the Danville MSA at 5.7%.
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL MSA
The not seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.6 percent in March 2024 from 4.3 percent in March 2023.
Total non-farm employment decreased -2,500 compared to March 2023.
Other Services (+300), Wholesale Trade (+300), Government (+300), Financial Activities (+100) and Transportation-Warehousing-Utilities (+100) had payroll gains over-the-year. The Professional-Business Services (-2,200), Manufacturing (-600), Construction (-400), Leisure-Hospitality (-300), and Private Education-Health Services (-100) sectors recorded employment declines over-the-year.
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.
Not Seasonally-Adjusted Unemployment Rates (percent) for Local Counties and Areas
Note: Monthly 2023 unemployment rates and total nonfarm jobs for Illinois metro areas were revised in February and March 2024, as required by the US BLS. Comments and tables distributed for prior metro area news releases should be discarded as any records or historical analysis previously cited may no longer be valid.
Disclaimer: The data contained in the metro area employment numbers press releases are not seasonally adjusted, and therefore are subject to seasonal fluctuations due to factors such as changes in weather, harvests, major holidays, and school schedules. Current monthly metro data should be compared to the same month from prior years (January 2024 data compared to January 2023 data) as data for these months have similar seasonal patterns. Comparisons should not be made to data for the immediate previous month or other previous non-matching months, as any changes in the data within these time periods may be the result of seasonal fluctuations and not economic factors.
