Illinois Department of Employment Security

State officials say thousands of Illinoisans will have delayed unemployment checks this week due to computer problems.

The Bloomington-Normal area economy has lost 1,000 jobs in the past year, mostly in the financial services sector, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported Thursday.

The Bloomington-Normal area economy has lost 1,300 jobs in the past year, helping drive up the unemployment rate, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported Thursday.

The jobless rate rose in Bloomington-Normal and 12 other Illinois metro areas in December, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported Friday.

Bloomington-Normal is one of three metro areas in Illinois which lost jobs over the last year.

Bloomington-Normal’s jobless rate rose in June, though state officials say that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Bloomington-Normal added 500 jobs over the last year to maintain a share of the lowest unemployment rate in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported Thursday that the local jobless rate dropped to 3.3 percent in May, down from 3.7 percent in May 2017, totaling 95,000 jobs.

IDES said unemployment rates dropped over-the-year in all of the state’s metro areas.

“For the third consecutive month, the unemployment rate is below the previous year levels in all metro areas,” IDES Director Jeff Mays said in a news release.

The Bloomington-Normal economy has added 1,100 jobs in the past year, as the local jobless rate fell to just 3.8 percent in December, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported Thursday.

Bloomington-Normal's jobless rate fell again in September and remains the lowest among all metro areas in the state, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported Thursday.