SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced that nonfarm payroll jobs reached a record high for the second month in a row.

Nonfarm payroll jobs rose by 4,100 in April, reaching a record high of 6,172,500 jobs, beating the previous record set in March. This marks three consecutive months of job growth. The state unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.8%. The revised job growth for March was lowered from the initial +14,800 to +10,900 jobs.

Key Monthly Job Gains by Sector:

  • Government: +2,700

  • Private Education & Health Services: +1,700

  • Leisure & Hospitality: +1,500

Monthly Job Losses:

  • Professional & Business Services: -1,400

  • Manufacturing: -1,200

  • Other Services: -500

Year-over-Year Changes (April 2024–April 2025):

  • Total jobs added: +36,100

  • Top growth sectors:

    • Private Education & Health Services: +18,200

    • Government: +16,800

    • Leisure & Hospitality: +10,300

  • Job losses:

    • Professional & Business Services: -11,500

    • Manufacturing: -5,300

“Illinois’ labor market continues to demonstrate strength and value for both jobseekers and employers despite continued uncertainty from the federal government and economic headwinds,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “With three consecutive months of job growth and two months of record-breaking payrolls, the state’s economy has continued to show stability and resiliency.”

  • Unemployed workers in April: 321,700 (up 0.1% from March, down 4% from April 2024)

  • Labor force: Unchanged from last month, up 0.4% from a year ago

  • Illinois JobLink:

    • Jobs posted: 71,544

    • Resumes uploaded: 60,794

IDES offers employment services like job fairs, hiring events, and job matching through IllinoisJobLink.com.

For more information, visit IDES.Illinois.gov.