Bloomington-Normal saw a jump in unemployment in May even as the labor force held steady.
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Twin City's jobless rate rose to 4.2%, up from 3.8% the previous month.
The area labor market, which includes McLean and DeWitt counties, is tied for the lowest jobless rate in the Illinois with Champaign-Urbana and Springfield.
The Bloomington-Normal labor market added 1,700 jobs. Manufacturing (+700) led the job gains, followed by Private Education and Health Services (+300) and Leisure and Hospitality (+300). Professional and Business services saw the most job losses (-400), followed by Retail Trade (-200) and Financial Activities (-100).
The Bloomington-Normal area labor force of 99,700 in May is unchanged from the previous month.
The unemployment rate is up in all but two of Illinois’ 14 metro areas over the last year.
Danville and Rockford shared the highest unemployment at 5.6%. The statewide jobless rate rose to 4.8% last month.
