Today, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) released preliminary October 2015 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 job estimates by industry based on the Current Employment Statistics Program (or “employer survey”).
  • The city of Chicago posted a preliminary unemployment rate of 5.6% before seasonal adjustment – this is down 1.2 percentage points from the October 2014 rate of 6.8% and the lowest October rate since 2006.
  • The number of employed Chicago (city) residents increased by 5,736 compared to the year prior (from 1,279,720 in October 2014 to an estimated 1,285,456 in October 2015).
  • Unemployed Chicago residents dropped by 15,923 compared to the year prior (from 92,640 to an estimated 76,717 in October 2015).
  • The Chicago (city) economy has expanded by an estimated 15,540 private jobs since October 2014, mostly attributed to professional and business services (+8,655) and educational and health services (+7,935) industries.
The charts below summarize monthly employment trends. Data is not seasonally adjusted.
CityUnemp 112515
Notes: Rates are not adjusted for seasonality, and should be compared year-over-year. City selection based on size and availability of data. 
CityEmploy 112515 
The table below compares year-over-year change in job estimates by industry for the city of Chicago. Data is not seasonally adjusted.
ChicagoJobsIndustry 112515

Chaired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, World Business Chicago is the public-private partnership leading the Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs in order to drive business development, cultivate talent, and put Chicago at the forefront of the global economy.

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. 

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