Illinois unemployment fell slightly from May to June as approximately 58,700 hospitality sector employees returned to work. | Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio
Illinois unemployment fell slightly from May to June as approximately 58,700 hospitality sector employees returned to work. | Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio
The latest Illinois unemployment numbers from June demonstrate some promise, as jobless rates had a slight rebound from the worst days during the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown.
The drop from May to June was less than a single percentage point, going from 15.3% to 14.6%, a release posted on the Illinois House Republicans Caucus Blog said. The small improvement could be attributed to the opportunity of some within the state to return to work after they had previously been kept unemployed by COVID-19 restrictions in May.
Yet, the numbers are still significantly higher than a year ago, when June 2019’s unemployment figure for the state came in at 4%, the release said. Additionally, Illinois is still faring worse than the national average of 11.1%.
The impact the shutdown had on the hospitality sector was also telling, where nearly all establishments were closed at the height of the pandemic. The return to work of 58,700 sector employees contributed to the improved numbers of June.
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