Bloomington-Normal’s unemployment rate fell again in November to 3.9 percent as the economy added 500 jobs over the past year to maintain one of the lowest jobless rates in Illinois.
The 3.9 percent jobless rate in November is down from 4.6 percent a year ago, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported Thursday. Bloomington-Normal’s jobless rate now matches the national average (3.9 percent) and remains lower than the statewide average (4.7 percent).
The Bloomington-Normal area’s 95,500 nonfarm jobs in November is up around 500 positions from November 2016, IDES reported. The biggest gains were reported in construction (+300) and professional and business services (+300). The biggest decline was reported in retail trade (-500).
There were an estimated 3,700 unemployed people in the labor force in November 2017, IDES reported.
“It is encouraging that job growth was reported in 10 of the 14 metro areas,” IDES Director Jeff Mays said in a statement. “More than 30,000 of those jobs were created in the Chicago metro area, so we need continued stronger growth statewide.”
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