MONTICELLO - The unemployment rate for Piatt County for March 2023 was reported at 3.7%, down .3% from last month and even from a year ago, according to statistics released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
In DeWitt County, the rate was 4.4%, which was down .2% from a month ago and .1% lower than last year.
In Piatt County, there were 8,796 residents in the labor force. Of those, 8,470 had jobs and 326 were still looking.
In DeWitt County, there were 7,408 in the labor force. Of those, 7,082 had jobs and 326 were looking.
In McLean County, the rate was 3.3%, which ws .5% off from last year. In Champaign County, the rate was reported to be 3.5%, which was a decrease of .4% from a year ago.
In Macon County, the September 2022 rate was 6.1%, down 0.1% from a year ago.
Statewide
The unemployment rate decreased in eleven areas, increased in one area and was unchanged in two for the year ending March 2023, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in all fourteen metropolitan areas.
“Over the last 24 consecutive months, job growth has remained consistent throughout industry sectors in metro areas across the state,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “Newly created jobs position jobseekers and employers statewide to fill opportunities for career growth and professional expansion.”
The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Peoria MSA (+3.9%, +6,400), the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+3.4%, +4,000), and the Bloomington MSA (+3.1%, +2,900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago Metro were up +1.6% or +60,100. Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included: Education and Health Services (fourteen areas); Leisure and Hospitality (thirteen areas); Wholesale Trade and Government (twelve areas each); Manufacturing and Other Services (eleven areas each); Mining and Construction and Transportation, Utilities and Warehousing (nine areas).
The metro areas with the largest unemployment rate decreases were the Rockford MSA (-1.1 points to 6.7%), the Carbondale-Marion MSA (-0.6 point to 4.0%), and the Springfield MSA (-0.6 point to 3.9%). The Chicago Metro Division unemployment rate fell -0.3 point to 4.1%.
The unemployment rate increased in the Lake County-Kenosha County IL-WI Metropolitan Division (+0.2 point to 5.0%). The unemployment rate was unchanged in the Danville MSA (5.4%) and the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL MSA (4.1%).
Champaign-Urbana MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 3.6 percent in March 2023 from 3.9 percent in March 2022.
Nonfarm employment increased by +4,000 compared to last March.
Government (+1,500), Leisure-Hospitality (+1,000), and Educational-Health Services (+800) had the largest payroll gains over the year. The Retail Trade (-300), Information (-200), and Professional-Business Services (-100) sectors had employment declines from a year ago.
Decatur MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in March 2023, a decrease of -0.1 percentage point from March 2022. There were an estimated 2,754 unemployed people in the labor force in March 2023.
The number of total nonfarm jobs in the Decatur metro area increased by +900 compared to a year ago.
Employment increased in Construction and Mining (+200), Government (+200), Other Services (+200), Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (+200), Leisure and Hospitality (+200), Professional and Business Services (+100), and Educational and Health Services (+100).
Payrolls were unchanged in Financial Activities, Wholesale Trade, and Information.
March payrolls declined in Manufacturing (-200) and Retail Trade (-100).
Springfield MSA
The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased -0.6 percentage point to 3.9 percent in March 2023 from 4.5 percent in March 2022. There were an estimated 4,040 unemployed people in the labor force in March 2023.
The number of total nonfarm jobs in the Springfield metro area increased by +2,300 compared to a year ago.
Payrolls increased in Government (+1,100), Leisure and Hospitality (+800), Other Services (+400), Professional and Business Services (+300), Mining and Construction (+200), Educational and Health Services (+200), Wholesale Trade (+200), Manufacturing (+100), Retail Trade (+100) and Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (+100).No payroll changes were reported in Financial Activities.
Decreased employment was reported in Information (-1,200).