After a jump in January, unemployment numbers have come back down for area counties in February.
Marion County had an unemployment rate of 5.1-percent. That’s down a half percent from January and up a tenth of a percent from last February. The numbers translate into 851 unemployed out of a workforce of 16,579. The number of unemployed was down 80 from January. The size of the work force also declined by 182 people.
Washington County continues to have the lowest unemployment in the region at 2.9 percent, down six-tenths of a percent from January. Clinton County’s unemployment is at 3.7-percent down four-tenths of a percent. Jefferson County’s rate is down three-tenths of a percent to 4.8-percent. Fayette County’s rate dipped three-tenths of a percent to 6.1-percent. Clay County’s rate was down four-tenths of a percent to 5.9-percent.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security reports total nonfarm employment decreased by 100 from February a year ago with the biggest declines coming in professional-business services as well as Trade-Transportation-Utilities. Both categories were down 250 employees.
On the brighter side, manufacturing jobs were up 225, government up 125, and mining-natural resources as well as financial activities up 25 jobs apiece.
There was no change in employment levels in the information, construction, leisure-hospitality or educational-health services sectors year-over-year.
