Illinois unemployment increases slightly in May, payroll jobs up

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.1 percentage point to 4.9 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased +12,700 in May, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The May unemployment rate and payroll jobs estimate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.

The state’s unemployment rate was +0.9 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for May. The national unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in May, up +0.1 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +0.7 percentage point from a year ago when it was 4.2 percent.

The number of unemployed workers was 317,400, up +1.3 percent from the prior month, and up +17.8 percent over the same month one year ago. The labor force was up +0.2 percent over-the-month and up +1.4 percent over-the-year.