Unemployment was up in January from the month before across South Central Illinois, but was lower than a year ago.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported unemployment in Marion County is now at 4.8-percent, up a half percent from December, but eight-tenths of a percent lower than January 2022. The unemployment number translates into 789 on the unemployment roles in January, a jump of 133 from December. The county’s workforce also shrunk during January. IDES reported 16,339 in the work force down 330 from December.
Washington County continued to have the lowest unemployment rate in the region at 2.7-percent, but that was up six-tenths of a percent from December and a half-percent lower than January a year ago.
Fayette County had the highest rate in the region at 5.4-percent, a 1.1-percent increase from December and just one-tenth of a percent lower than last January.
Jefferson County had the lowest rate if increase, with the January rate increasing just two-tenths of a percent to 4.5-percent. That’s down 1.1-percent from January a year ago.
Clinton County’s unemployment rate increased a half-percent to 3.2-percent and is six-tenths of a percent lower than last January.
Clay County’s unemployment rate increased six-tenths of a percent to an even five percent. That is down 1.1-percent from January a year ago.
The IDES reports 1,300 jobs were created in the Centralia-Mt. Vernon labor market area in the past year. 550 of those were at manufacturing facilities, 375 in professional and business services, 275 in government, 175 in construction, and 100 apiece in leisure and hospitality and educational and health services. There was a 400 percent payroll decrease in trade, transportation, and utilities.
