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Economy

QC Unemployment Dropped Slightly in October

Unemployment dropped slightly in the Quad Cities in October, going from 4 per cent at this time last year, to 3.8 per cent last month. 

Tom Austin from the Illinois Department of Employment Security says more people were employed, and fewer considered unemployed. A big gain in construction, along with smaller gains in transportation and wholesale trade, were offset by job losses in several sectors, especially retail.

Credit Illinois Department of Employment Security

"When we look at retail trade, that's been an industry that's a little bit harder hit when we look at the Quad Cities area. And we've been seeing that decline when we look over the year for the past few months. That's an industry we know that's been going through some changes, from pressure from online sales and things like that."

The last time the October unemployment rate was at 3.8 per cent or lower, occurred in 2006, when the rate fell to 3.7 per cent. 

Unemployment in the Quad Cities has been nearly steady for the past four months - at either 3.8 or 3.9 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.