Unemployment rose in the Quad Cities in March - from 5.7 per cent a year ago to 6.5 per cent last month.
Tom Austin from the Illinois Department of Employment Security says the increase is mainly due to job losses in two key sectors.
On the plus side, the Quad Cities added jobs in March in government, and education and health services.
Our unemployment rate of 6.5 per cent translates into about 12,400 people out of work and looking for jobs.
For the second month in a row, the rate went up last month in all 14 major metro areas in Illinois.
