The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.2 percentage point to 4.6 percent, while nonfarm payrolls decreased by -15,000 in October, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The September revised unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, unchanged from the preliminary September unemployment rate.
The state’s unemployment rate was +0.7 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for October. The national unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in October, up +0.1 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was unchanged from a year ago when it was also 4.6 percent.
The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.