OESC reports an increase in initial and continued claims ardmoreite.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ardmoreite.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
May 28, 2021
The Knox County unemployment rate improved from March to April and is more than 8 points lower than it was last year, but those numbers still exceed what the unemployment was before the pandemic.
According to data released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security yesterday, the county had an unemployment rate of 6.7 for April. That’s a 0.8 percent improvement from March.
In the month, about 320 more people were employed, bringing the total number of employed in the county to 18,805. Meanwhile, 1,343 remain unemployed.
The unemployment rate in Knox County spiked last year at 14.9 percent, right as the lockdowns were going into place and jobs were being cut.
Unemployment hits pandemic low yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Congress has sent President Joe Biden the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill.
The continuing job cuts reflect the extent to which the pandemic disrupted normal economic activity and kept consumers hunkered down at home rather than out traveling, shopping, dining out and attending entertainment venues. Cities and states restricted the hours and capacity of restaurants, bars and other businesses. Even where restrictions didn t exist, many Americans for months chose to stay home to avoid the risk of infection.
Now, though, as vaccinations are increasingly administered around the country, business limitations are gradually eased and consumers grow more comfortable engaging face to face with others, optimism about the economy is rising. Last month, consumers bounced back from months of retrenchment to step up their spending by 2.4% - the sharpest increase in seven months and a sign that the economy may be poised to sustain a recovery.