State Unemployment Rate Down Slightly

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois’ unemployment rate is down slightly. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state’s jobless rate fell point-one percentage points to four-point-eight-percent in February. Illinois nonfarm payrolls remained nearly unchanged in February at sixty-five-hundred. Compared to a year ago, total nonfarm payroll jobs increased by nineteen-thousand jobs.  The industry groups with the largest job increases included Private Education and Health Services.