Area unemployment numbers fell nearly a full percentage point this past month.
Morgan, Greene, and Macoupin counties all are near 4.1% unemployment for the month of September, according to statistics released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security on Thursday. These rates are near the national average, and a full point and a quarter percent lower than the state unemployment average of 5.3%.
Cass, Scott, and Pike all dropped a half percentage point and now sit around 4.5% unemployment. These numbers are all nearly a point better than the percentages recorded this summer for the region.
Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased in nine metropolitan areas and decreased in five for the year ending September 2024, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and IDES. Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in eight areas, increased in five, and was unchanged in one.
The Springfield metro area had over-the-year job increases by 1,100 jobs primarily in IT, Government, Retail, and Wholesale Trade jobs.