Illinois unemployment rate falls to six
Job seekers stand in a line at the 12th Annual Diversity Employment Day Career Fair in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on March 21, 2012. (Tim Boyle / Bloomberg / )
State unemployment rates in Illinois April to their lowest level in six years across all metro areas, according to a new Illinois Department of Employment Security report Thursday.Preliminary data released by the state shows that four areas - Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, the Quad Cities area and Springfield recorded lower unemployment than national rate, which was 5.9 percent in April.
The data also shows that five metropolitan areas recorded more jobs than before, with the largest increase coming from the Lake County, Kenosha, WI area which added more than 10,200 jobs in April.
'Independent data again shows that our economy continues to move forward,' said Jay Rowell, director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security in a statement. 'The trend of more people working and fewer people on unemployment bodes well for continued improvement in local economies across Illinois.'Unemployment in the Chicago metropolitan area, which includes Joliet and Naperville, fell to 7.4 percent from 9.1 percent during the same period last year. Metropolitan Chicago added 26,700 jobs last month. Kankakee-Bradley and Decatur saw the most substantial declines in unemployment dropping from unemployment levels above 10 percent to 8.7 and 9.1 percent respectively.
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