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Finding jobs in Illinois became more difficult in May, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The state’s unemployment rose 0.7 percent from April’s 9.4 percent to 10.1 percent. Currently the state’s jobless rate is the highest it’s been in 25 years.

Not only is this rate higher than the national average of 9.4 percent, it is also significantly higher than the state’s jobless rate was during the same month last year. In May of 2008 only 6.4 percent of Illinois residents were unable to find work.

According to the State Department of Employment Security, Illinois lost 17,400 jobs in May. This was the 8th consecutive month the state reported a decline in jobs. Since the beginning of the recession Illinois employers have done away with 290,800 positions.

Currently there are approximately 671,400 unemployment people in the state.

In May the industry lost the most positions was the manufacturing sector. Business in this area of employment did away with 9,500 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities followed, losing a total of 5,300 positions. The Government sector saw the loss of 2,900 jobs during the month.

Only two industries in Illinois reported job growth in May; leisure and hospitality and education and health services. The first gained 6,900 jobs as a result of employers getting ready for summer. The latter added 400 jobs and continues to be the only relatively recession proof industry.

Over the course of the last 12 months there has been a 4.6 percent decline in total non-farm employment throughout the state, according to BLS data. The industry that reported the largest year-over-year losses in Illinois was the construction sector, where employers now offer 13.7 percent fewer jobs than they did in May of 2008. Manufacturing also lost over 10 percent of its jobs in the last year. Employment in this industry is now down by 11.9 percent.

Only three industries in the state reported year-over-year job gains; education and health services, government, and mining and logging. The first of which reported a 0.7 percent increase in the last 12 months. The government sector saw a 0.3 percent increase over course of the last year, while mining and logging increased employment by 2 percent.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 7:54 am and is filed under job search. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.