Business & Tech

Romeoville, Will County Jobless Rates Decline in March

While unemployment throughout Illinois has remained mostly unchanged since February, overall 218,500 private sector jobs have been added since January 2010, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Unemployment rates in Illinois were 9.5 percent in March, a slight decrease over February and slightly higher from the same time in 2012, according to new figures released in late April. 

In Romeoville the unemployment rate dropped in March to 10.4 percent in the village. That is down from 10.8 percent in February and up from 9.4 percent in March 2012. 

In March the Will County rate fell to 10 percent from 10.9 percent in February. That figure is up year over year from 9.5 percent.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The numbers measure unemployment for residents who live in a certain town, not those who work in the town. 

Statewide, the unemployment rate decreased from 10.5 percent in February to 9.5 percent in March. Compared with March 2012, unemployment has declined 0.3 percent.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

During the month of March, local unemployment rates increased in seven of 12 metro areas, decreased in four, and were unchanged in one compared to last year, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

While unemployment remained mostly unchanged in Illinois, the state recorded 17,800 fewer jobs compared with February, even though it added 36,000 jobs over March 2012, according to officials with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). 

"Illinois employers were expected to report fewer positions in March. Economic uncertainty nationally and abroad dampened our country's job growth. When that happens, Illinois' share tends to be a negative number," said IDES Director Jay Rowell in a news release. "Monthly snapshots capture a moment in time. When those moments are evaluated together, we see progress away from a global recession and through a stubborn economic growth cycle marked by volatile swings in monthly data here and across our country."

Since January 2010 – following two years of monthly declines - Illinois has added 218,500 private sector jobs since, according to IDES. Among the leading job growth sectors are professional and business services (+89,300); education and health services (+57,800); and trade, transportation and utilities (+37,000). Government has lost the most jobs since January 2010, down -26,500.

The U.S. average unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in March 2013. 

This post was reported by Mary Ann Lopez.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here