Unemployment in the Peoria metropolitan area is up 0.8% from last year, but so are the number of jobs.
That’s according to Bradley University’s first-quarter composite index. Professor Bernard Goitein, who helps develop the quarterly report, said growth in the local job market increased the number of jobs by 2.7% from this time last year.
“The growth in jobs here was consistent with the area employers laying off fewer people," he said.
According to the report, the manufacturing and professional and business services industries saw the largest job gains, up nearly 10% from 2018. Education and health service firms saw a smaller increase at 1.5%.
Goitein said the growth in jobs attracted residents to look for work, boosting up the number of working residents by 1.3% from this time last year.
“At the same time, the job seekers were left still looking for work. So we have employment being up, and unemployment being up at the same time.”
The Peoria metropolitan area includes Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Stark, and Marshall counties.
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