Statewide unemployment rate stable for May

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced that the unemployment rate was unchanged in the state at 4.6 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by 12,800 in May, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s unemployment rate was one percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for May, which was 3.6 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down 1.9 percentage points from a year ago.