Good News For Employment In Illinois?

By aaroncynic in News on Mar 9, 2010 9:40PM

Economic news might be looking upward for Illinois for the first time in a few months. According to a survey by the staffing firm Manpower, who regularly releases such surveys, 18 percent of companies in the greater Chicago area are planning to take on more employees next quarter, and increase of 10 percent over the first quarter of the year. With only 3 percent of companies surveyed planning on cutting jobs (as compared to 16 percent in the first quarter of the year), this is a net gain of 15%. The strongest job prospects appear in industries like construction and durable goods manufacturing, while employers in government plan to cut jobs. Overall, 75 percent plan to maintain their current level of employment, continuing a small upward trend.

While this is a piece of good news for job seekers in Illinois, the statistics nationwide aren’t so rosy: 73 percent of employers surveyed nationwide say they plan on keeping employment levels the same, while 8 percent say they’re cutting payrolls. A government jobs report last month showed 36,000 Americans lost their jobs last month. At present, the unemployment rate nationwide hovers near 10 percent , but as we've reported before, that number is only a partial figure since it does not include longer term unemployed and underemployed people.