Unemployment dropped sharply in the Quad Cities last month. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the jobless rate went from 6 per cent in March of last year, to 4.8 per cent last month.
Spokesman Tom Austin says overall our area is beginning to experience a decline in the number of people considered unemployed, and an increase in the number employed.
But the Quad Cities also continued to lose manufacturing jobs.
"We've been seeing that decline in different areas throughout the US depending on the manufacturing sector it's in. When we're looking at the agriculture industry that's been a little bit harder hit than other industries. But this isn't just a local change - we've been seeing it in other part of the state as well as at the national level. "
In March, this area lost jobs in manufacturing, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing, but gained jobs in education and health, government, and financial activities.
The unemployment rate of 4.8 per cent means about 9,100 people in the Quad Cities metro area were out of work and looking for jobs.
As summer approaches, Austin expects more hiring for seasonal jobs such as construction, but also more people looking for work, especially young people who are out of school and college for the summer.
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