Today, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) released preliminary September 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 1.3 percentage points from the September 2014 rate of 6.9% and the lowest September rate since 2006.
  • The number of employed Chicago (city) residents increased by 3,324 compared to the year prior (from 1,272,781 in September 2014 to an estimated 1,276,105 in September 2015).
  • Unemployed Chicago residents dropped by 18,772 compared to the year prior (from 94,357 to an estimated 75,585 in September 2015).
  • The Chicago (city) economy has expanded by an estimated 9,252 private jobs since September 2014, mostly attributed to the Professional and Business Services (6,593), Educational and Health Services (4,822), and Retail Trade (1,287) industries.

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

CityUnemp 102215

Notes: Rates are not adjusted for seasonality, and should be compared year-over-year. City selection based on size and availability of data. 
CityEmploy 102215
The table below compares year-over-year change in job estimates by industry for the city of Chicago. Data is not seasonally adjusted.
ChicagoJobsIndustry 102215

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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