Bloomington-Normal's unemployment rate continues to recover during the coronavirus pandemic, but the area is still short more than 6,000 jobs compared with a year ago.
The Twin City area's unemployment rate dropped to 7.2% in August according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). That's down from 8% in July, but it’s up from 3.8% in August 2019. It's also the lowest jobless rate of any metro area in Illinois.
Some nearby counties had slightly lower numbers. DeWitt County reported a 7% jobless rate and Livingston County’s stood at 6.7% for August. Peoria’s unemployment stands at 9.6%
The number of people in the Bloomington-Normal area seeking jobless benefits from the state fell to below 1,000 (998 in August) for the first time since February. The data, however, suggest nearly 17,500 people in the Twin Cities area have lost a job at some point during the pandemic.
IDES data show the Twin City area has lost 6,200 jobs since last August. The areas hardest hit are leisure and hospitality (-2,400 jobs), professional and business services (-1,500 jobs), government (-600 jobs) and educational and health services (-500 jobs).
Non-farm jobs dropped year-to-year in all 14 metro areas in Illinois.
The highest jobless rate is in the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights market at 12.6%.
The statewide jobless rate dropped slightly to 10.9% in August. The national unemployment rate Is 8.4%
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