SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Peoria area hasn’t created as many jobs in the year-over-year period ending last month as some other areas, but the unemployment rate in the area is still lower.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the Peoria statistical area jobless average is at 5.0% — a full one percent lower than July of last year.
The state says only 2,600 non-farm jobs were added in the Peoria area between July of this year and July of 2021.
Deputy Governor Andy Manar says in a news release the data is an indication that an economic recovery is taking place statewide.
“As unemployment rates continue to decline and jobs increase, IDES is committed to providing training and employment services with its local partners to connect workers and employers together in the Illinois workforce,” said Manar, in a news release.
The largest numbers of jobs created in the period, according to state data, were in the Lake County and Elgin areas outside of the Chicago statistical area.
Several areas of the state only created several hundred jobs in the area, while one — the Illinois side of Saint Louis — actually lost some jobs.
The state as a whole created 238,100 jobs year over year, with the statewide jobless average at 4.8%, down 1.8 percentage points year over year.
The Bloomington area unemployment rate is down to 4.0% in July, from 4.9% in July, 2021, with 2,800 jobs created there in that period.
