For the sixth month in a row, unemployment has fallen in the Quad Cities. New figures from the Illinois Department of Employment Security show the jobless rate here fell from 6.7 per cent in August of last year, to 6.2 per cent last month.
Spokesman Tom Austin says not only did the number of un-employed people fall in the Quad Cities, but the number employed also rose. Losses in construction, government, and education were more than offset by gains in retail, leisure and hospitality, transportation, and wholesale trade.
The unemployment rate held steady in February compared to a year ago, but since then has fallen each month.
At 6.2 per cent, the Quad Cities tied with Chicago for the lowest rate in Illinois, slightly better than Springfield and Bloomington-Normal. At the other end of the scale, unemployment was 9.7 per cent in Danville and 9.4 in both Rockford and Decatur.
