Illinois' unemployment rate is up slightly. The latest numbers released from the Illinois Department of Employment security indicate the state's non-farm payroll employment lost 16-thousand-300 jobs, and the unemployment rate rose point-two-percentage points to five-point-nine-percent.
IDES officials say average job growth in the state remains well below the national average, and employment will not recover from the 2007-2009 national recession until September 2017. This is the first time since 2009 that Illinois ended a year with fewer jobs than how many it had when the year started.