Local Employment Trends June 2016

News Item

07.28.2016

Today, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) released preliminary June 2016 data on unemployment rates for municipalities across the state based on the current population survey (or “household survey”). The following brief summarizes this data, as well as IDES’ job estimates by industry based on the Current Employment Statistics Program (or “employer survey”).

HOUSEHOLD SURVEY

Chicago’s labor force expanded (+28,679) from 1,381,997 in June 2015 to 1,410,676 in June 2016, suggesting that more residents are actively looking for work.
The number of employed Chicago (city) residents increased by 25,914 compared to the year prior, from 1,288,942 in June 2015 to an estimated 1,314,856 in June 2016.
Unemployed Chicago (city) residents increased by 2,765 compared to the year prior from 93,055 in June 2015 to an estimated 95,820 in June 2016.
The increase in employed residents was not enough to offset the increase in the labor force, resulting in a preliminary unemployment rate of 6.8 percent in June 2016 before seasonal adjustment. This is up 0.1 percentage points from the June 2015 rate.

The following charts summarize monthly employment trends. Data is not seasonally adjusted.

Note: Rates are not adjusted for seasonality, and should be compared year-over-year. City selection based on size and availability of data.

EMPLOYER SURVEY

According to payroll job estimates from IDES, the Chicago (city) economy has expanded by an estimated 11,317 private jobs since June 2015, mostly attributed to leisure and hospitality (+4,018), professional and business services (+3,779) and retail trade (+1,913).

The table below compares year-over-year change in job estimates by industry for the city of Chicago. Data is not seasonally adjusted.

Note: At the beginning of each calendar year, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (BLS LAUS) programs revise up to five years of previous data to incorporate new inputs and population data. The data in this brief reflects the most recent revisions from BLS and IDES.

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WBC’s “Economic Briefs” track indicators from month to month to gauge the strength of several aspects of Chicago’s economy, including unemployment, population, venture capital, job openings and new hires, home sales, tourism, etc. This data provides a clear analytic framework for specific Plan strategies and initiatives. For a summary of these and other economic indicators, refer to WBC’s monthly Chicago By The Numbers.