The pace of new job losses in Bloomington-Normal caused by the pandemic slowed for a second straight month in June, according to new data from the state.
In all, 1,858 people filed for jobless benefits for the first time in June, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Initial jobless claims from Bloomington-Normal area residents suggest over 15,000 people have lost a job since March.
The spike in jobless claims in Bloomington-Normal between March and June is comparable to what other downstate metro areas have experienced, including Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, and Champaign-Urbana, IDES data show.
The 1,858 new jobless claims in Bloomington-Normal is a three-fold increase from the 554 filed in June 2019, according to IDES.
Many businesses in Bloomington-Normal reopened (some partially) in May and June as Illinois entered Phases 3 and 4 of the governor’s Restore Illinois plan.
Meanwhile, the Bloomington-Normal area’s unemployment rate was 12.8% in April and 10.9% in May, according to IDES. June’s jobless rate will be released July 23.
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