News Local/State

Jobless Rates Fall In All Illinois Metro Areas

By Jim Meadows, with additional reporting from The Associated Press
 

June unemployment is down from a year ago in the 12 metro areas measured by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. 

Department Director Jay Rowell said Thursday in the agency's monthly report on metro unemployment that the trend of encouraging employment data shows real economic improvement.

Champaign-Urbana’s jobless rate was 6.9 percent in June, down 2.1 percentage points. Danville’s rate was 9.3, down 2.3 percentage points. Decatur’s June unemployment rate was 9.2 percent, down 3.2 percentage points. In Rockford the rate fell from 11.4 percent to 8.9. 

However, of those three, only Champaign-Urbana showed a measurable increase in the number of non-farm jobs compared to a year ago --- and Decatur actually lost jobs.