By Greg Halbleib
SPRINGFIELD – The March unemployment rate in Bloomington-Normal dropped from a year earlier, but the number of jobs declined slightly as well.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported the local jobless rate last month was 4.3 percent, down from 5.5 percent in March 2016. The Bloomington-Normal rate is the second lowest in the state, slightly behind Chicago.
The agency reported 93,400 non-farm jobs in the area last month, 200 fewer than a year ago.
The Rockford area again reported the highest unemployment rate in the state, 8.3 percent, and was the only Illinois region to record a higher rate than last March.
