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Economy

QC Unemployment Recovering Slowly

Although still high, unemployment in the Quad Cities is slowly recovering from the effects of the pandemic. Unemployment rose to 9.1 per cent in July, from 3.9 per cent in the same month a year ago. 

Tom Austin, from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, says much of the increase is due to COVID-19.

 "In some of your summer programs which would affect government employment, especially your local park districts, professional and business services which includes your staffing management companies which have seen a decline when we're looking over the year in demand for additional staff, as well as leisure and hospitality which includes a variety of industry sectors including restaurants, hotels, and all of your arts community." 

It was the highest rate on record for the month of July in the Quad Cities, thanks to a lost of nearly 17,000 jobs compared to the same month last year.

But unemployment has continued to decline since the pandemic began - from 15 per cent in April, to 14 per cent in May, 11 per cent in June, and 9 per cent in July.  

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.