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B-N Jobless Rate Falls; 400 Jobs Added In Past Year

Unemployment Office
WGLT

The Bloomington-Normal area’s jobless rate declined in December, as the local economy added 400 jobs in the past year, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday.

The Bloomington-Normal area’s unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in December, down from 4.7% a year ago, IDES reported. That’s right on par with the state (3.5%) and national (3.4%) averages.

There were 92,600 total nonfarm jobs in the Bloomington-Normal area as of December, up 400 positions from a year ago, IDES reported. The biggest gains were in Leisure and Hospitality (+400 positions), Government (+300), and Financial Activities (+200). The Manufacturing sector lost 500 jobs.

There were an estimated 3,200 unemployed people in the labor force in December 2019.

The unemployment rate decreased over-the-year in December in all 14 Illinois metro areas.

“Under Gov. JB Pritzker’s leadership, we now have the lowest unemployment rate in state history with the most jobs on record,” Deputy Governor Dan Hynes said in a statement Thursday. “The governor is committed to building on this progress by attracting new businesses to Illinois, putting people to work on our infrastructure and creating opportunities for communities that have been left behind for too long.”

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Ryan Denham is the digital content director for WGLT.
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