Wealth of jobs helps keep Q-C unemployment on track

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By Doug Schorpp | Friday, August 22, 2008 2:05 AM CDT | () comments

Diversification of jobs is helping the Quad-Cities stay somewhat stable in terms of employment, according to a labor study released Thursday.

All 12 metropolitan areas in Illinois posted year-over-year increases in unemployment, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

But there is a bright spot, and we are living in it.

Of the 12 areas, the lowest rate was 5.1 percent for the Quad-Cities. The Quad-City market includes Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island counties in Illinois and Scott County in Iowa.

Scott County’s rate of 3.9 percent was up from 3.7 percent in July 2007. Rock Island County was at 5.8 percent, compared to 4.4 percent one year ago.

Of the 12 metropolitan areas in Illinois, seven recorded their highest unemployment rate for July since 1990, according to Tom Austin, a labor analyst with the state agency.

The highest Illinois rate was Rockford at 9 percent, up from 6.1 percent in July 2007. But other areas also were being hit hard. For instance, Danville was at 8.6 percent, St. Louis at 8.1 percent and Decatur at 7.9 percent. After the Quad-City region, the next lowest rate was 5.6 percent in Bloomington-Normal.

The one percentage point Quad-City increase — from 4.1 in July 2007 to 5.1 percent in July — also was the lowest among the 12 metro areas.

“In the Quad-City area, we have seen diversification of local industry and employment,” Austin said. “If you look at July 2007 to July 2008, you see a mix of increases and decreases of specific jobs, with an overall increase of 300 jobs within the year. When the national economy experiences a slowdown, the more diversified a community is, the better the region will fare.”

Over the year, job growth in several Quad-City employment sectors offset declines in the construction and manufacturing sectors. Nationally, the construction and manufacturing sectors have been affected by the weakening economy, Austin said.

Wholesale and retail trade, transportation-warehousing-utilities, financial activities, professional-business services and education-health services all experienced employment gains from July 2007 levels. Increases in nonfarm employment contributed to the slower over-the-year growth in the unemployment rate compared to other regions.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Illinois was 7.3 percent for July, up from 5.1 percent one year ago. Nationally, the rate was at 5.7 percent, up from 4.7 percent in July 2007, he said.

“National economic trends have now fully impacted the Illinois labor market. While many areas throughout the state continue to experience stable or moderate job growth, local economies cannot provide enough opportunities to prevent increases in unemployment induced by national economic uncertainty,” said James P. Sledge, Department of Employment Security director.

“By creating thousands of statewide jobs that would better absorb the effects of layoffs and a slower hiring pace, a comprehensive capital program could stimulate the state economy and help Illinois workers through this tough period.”

Doug Schorpp can be contacted at (563) 383-2292 or dschorpp@qctimes.com.

BY THE NUMBERS

Unemployment rates for the four counties in the Quad-City metropolitan statistical area.

County    July 2007    July 2008

Scott    3.7 percent    3.9 percent

Rock Island    4.4 percent    5.8 percent

Henry    4.7 percent    6.5 percent

Mercer    4.5 percent    6.4 percent