Illinois Jobless Rate Falls To 7.5 Percent

The state Department of Employment Security says Illinois' unemployment rate fell to 7.5 percent in May. It was the third consecutive monthly decrease.

Illinois still has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country but the department notes that the state jobless rate is now at its lowest point since November 2008.
 
Department Director Jay Rowell called the results "another month of encouraging data.''
 
The state unemployment rate in March was 7.9 percent. The national unemployment rate for May was 6.3 percent.
 
The total number of unemployed people in the state fell 4.6 percent in May to 492,400. That number, though, only includes the unemployed who are still actively seeking work.