PEORIA Jobless rate largely unchanged

But west-central Illinois unemployment up significantly from 2009

By Journal Star staff


Posted Apr 01, 2010 @ 09:06 PM

PEORIA — Unemployment rates remained basically steady from January to February throughout west-central Illinois, but still were considerably higher than a year ago, according to figures released Thursday by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Many of the counties in the region now have experienced double-digit unemployment for more than a year, those figures showed. It was the 33rd consecutive month unemployment rates increased in the state's metropolitan areas, the Department of Employment Security said.

In the Peoria metropolitan area, unemployment worsened slightly to 13.2 percent, the worst February rate since 1984 - the last time rates stayed in double digits for a sustained period of time - and an increase from 12.9 percent in January. A year earlier, the rate was 9.4 percent in the Peoria region. The rate hit 13.3 percent in February 1984.

In the past year, the Department of Employment Security said, nonfarm payroll jobs went down 10,400 from February 2009. Most of the loss was in manufacturing, which was down 5,700 jobs from a year earlier. Professional-business services lost 1,500 jobs, the leisure-hospitality sector lost 900 jobs, and transportation-warehousing-utilities lost 800 jobs, the state report said.

Peoria County's jobless rate was 13.6 percent in February, up slightly from the January rate of 13.4 percent. It was 9.8 percent in February 2009. The city of Peoria's rate was steady at 13.3 percent in both January and February. A year earlier, it was 9.8 percent.

Tazewell County also saw an increase, from 12.9 percent in January to 13.3 percent in February. It was 9.4 percent in February 2009. A major cause of the increase was that the city of Pekin saw an increase from 15.8 percent in January to 16.6 percent in February. A year earlier, it was 11.3 percent.

Woodford County's rate was 11.3 percent in February, up from 10.8 percent in January. It was 7.4 percent in February 2009. Stark County had the highest rate in the metropolitan area at 14.1 percent, up more than a full percentage point from 12.9 percent in January. It was 10.6 percent a year ago.

Marshall County's rate was 13.1 percent in February, an improvement from the January rate of 13.5 percent. In February 2009, it was 9.2 percent. Of the state's 12 metropolitan areas, only Bloomington-Normal remained below double digits, at 9.5 percent. McLean County was one of only six counties in Illinois below double digits, at 9.5 percent. The lowest rate in Illinois in February was in Brown County, at 6.5 percent. The highest rate was in Boone County, which had a rate of 20.4 percent. The county seat is Belvidere, where a Chrysler Motors plant had massive layoffs over the last two years.

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x905413388/Jobless-rate-largely-unchanged