In a repeat of last month’s disappointing employment news, eight of Illinois’ 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, saw their unemployment rates rise compared to November 2012, according to November’s metropolitan area unemployment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Decatur and Danville regions are still suffering the highest unemployment in the state,...

Earlier this week in a televised White House address President Barack Obama said, “I can’t name a time where I met an American who would rather have an unemployment check than the pride of having a job.” But Obama’s statement is contrary to recent statistics released by the U.S. Department of Labor, which show many...

The national unemployment rate declined to 6.7 percent in December, down from 7 percent a month earlier, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Payroll jobs increased a paltry 74,000, below consensus estimates of 200,000. November payroll gains were revised up from 203,000 to 241,000. Despite the huge miss in...

Illinois’ unemployment rate fell to 8.7 percent in November from 8.9 percent a month prior, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois still has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the nation, behind only Nevada, Rhode Island and Michigan. The state gained 9,400 payroll jobs over the month, while the number of unemployed Illinoisans...

The national unemployment rate fell to 7 percent in November, down from 7.3 percent a month earlier, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. The number of unemployed Americans fell by 365,000, while both the number of employed and the labor force grew over the month. The number...

Eight of Illinois’ 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, saw their unemployment rates rise or remain stagnant compared to October 2012, according to today’s combined September-October metropolitan area unemployment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Decatur and Danville regions are still suffering the highest unemployment in the state, with 12.3 percent and...

Illinois’ unemployment rate fell to 8.9 percent in October from 9.2 percent in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A total of 4,800 payroll jobs were created between August and October. Today’s BLS report, which included both October and September numbers, was delayed until today due to the government shutdown in October....

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the national unemployment rate rose in October to 7.3 percent from 7.2 percent one month earlier. There are 11.3 million Americans currently unemployed. The U-6 unemployment rate, which includes all workers who are unemployed or underemployed, rose to 13.8 percent, up from last month’s 13.6 percent. In total,...

After nearly a month’s delay due to the federal government’s shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced yesterday that the national unemployment rate edged down in September to 7.2 percent from 7.3 percent one month earlier. Overall, 11.3 million Americans remain unemployed. The U-6 unemployment rate, which includes all workers who are unemployed or underemployed,...