The Illinois Department of Employment Security has reported Marion County’s unemployment rate has fallen a full percent between August and September and is now at 5.5-percent. The rate is 1.6-percent lower than in September a year ago.
All area counties saw drops in unemployment rates in the month that extra unemployment benefits expired.
Marion County’s workforce in September increased 50 people to 16,638, while the number of unemployed dropped 176 persons to 919.
The lowest unemployment rate in the region is in Clinton and Washington Counties where it is at 2.9-percent. Fayette’s County rate has dropped 1.2-percent to 4.2-percent. Clay County’s rate dipped a full percent to 4.9-percent. Jefferson County’s rate is down 1.4-percent to 5.5-percent.
The number of non-farm jobs in the Centralia-Mt. Vernon labor market increased by 300. Employment increased in professional and business services by 175 and government services by 125. Payrolls decreased in manufacturing by 100, and educational and health services by 50.
The statewide unemployment rate is also at 5.5-percent.
