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Economy

Unemployment Lower in August

Unemployment in the Quad Cities went down in August, from 4 per cent a year ago to 3.8 per cent last month.

Tom Austin from the Illinois Department of Employment Security says fewer people were considered un-employed, and there were more people working. In fact, this area gained 2,200 jobs during the past year.

"Most of that was in the construction sector as we hit that time of the year for construction employment. We also saw growth in other industries such as leisure and hospitality, transportation and warehousing, and the manufacturing sector."

But this area also continued to lose jobs in retail thanks to competition online, and jobs were lost in government, and education and health.

The last time the August unemployment rate was this low, 3.8 per cent or lower, occurred in 2000 when the rate was 3.6 per cent. 
 

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.