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Economy

QC Unemployment Rose in March

Unemployment rose in the Quad Cities in March, from 4.4 per cent a year ago to 5.9 per cent last month.

Tom Austin from the Illinois Department of Employment Security says that's the same trend across the state.

"Right now what we're seeing is a continued decline in the unemployment rate compared to where we were at the start of the pandemic, and that's some positive news as we are seeing some return to work and it's affecting the labor force. But we are still seeing some industries where employment is down compared to a year ago."

Hardest hit has been jobs in leisure and hospitality, followed by manufacturing, and education and health services. In all, the number of people working in the Quad Cities dropped by 8,200 during the past year.

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.