CHICAGO (March 14, 2016) – In January, Illinois gained 1,500 jobs. However, final economic data released today by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, show how this minor up-tick for the state’s economy comes after a year in which Illinois ranked second-worst of neighboring and Great Lakes states for its job-creation rate, and added thousands of people to the unemployment rolls. On Thursday, March 10, the Illinois Department of Employment Security released data on Illinois’ January jobs growth. Today’s release from the BLS shows how Illinois’ jobs growth compares with that of neighboring states in the month of January and for 2015 as a whole.

Illinois’ unemployment rate rose to 6.3 percent in January, up from 6.1 percent in December 2015. This rise in the unemployment rate reflects an increase in the number of unemployed Illinoisans over the past year. In 2015, Illinois suffered one of the largest increases in unemployed people of neighboring states and in the Great Lakes region.

“Illinois’ economy has been moving too slowly for too long. Today’s numbers from the BLS show how even though more people are entering Illinois’ workforce, they are being met with a state economy that does not have the necessary jobs available,” said Michael Lucci, director of jobs and growth at the Illinois Policy Institute. “Illinois still has 17,000 fewer jobs than it had before the start of the Great Recession in January 2008, giving Illinois one of the worst recoveries from the Great Recession in the entire Midwest. It is undeniable that Illinois needs to embrace economic policies that will bring jobs to the state and make the state competitive again. Illinoisans cannot afford another year of adding too many to the unemployment rolls and too few to the job rolls.”

Key numbers from today’s BLS report include:

• Illinois’ unemployment rate for January rose to 6.3 percent. The number of unemployed people in Illinois increased by 11,900 in January 2016.

• 2015 changes (December 2014 to December 2015) in the number of unemployed in neighboring and Great Lakes states:
  • Illinois: 5,765 more unemployed people
  • Indiana: 29,000 fewer unemployed people
  • Iowa: 6,865 fewer unemployed people
  • Kentucky: 6,260 more unemployed people
  • Michigan: 51,000 fewer unemployed people
  • Minnesota: 1,034 more unemployed people
  • Missouri: 30,657 fewer unemployed people
  • Ohio: 19,479 fewer unemployed people
  • Wisconsin: 6,473 fewer unemployed people

• January jobs growth for neighboring and Great Lakes state:
  • Illinois gained 1,500 jobs
  • Indiana gained 2,600 jobs
  • Iowa gained 7,900 jobs
  • Kentucky lost 5,100 jobs
  • Michigan gained 18,800 jobs
  • Minnesota lost 6,800 jobs
  • Missouri gained 5,400 jobs
  • Ohio gained 100 jobs
  • Wisconsin lost 200 jobs

• Illinois added 700 manufacturing jobs in January. Illinois lost 6,200 manufacturing jobs in 2015, the worst manufacturing job loss of any state in the region.