The Mercer County unemployment rate sits at 5.6 percent. The number is for March and represents a 4-point improvement from a year ago. Unemployment is also down from year over year levels in Henry, Henderson, Knox, Rock Island and Warren Counties mainly due to employment gains in the Professional-Business Services, Leisure-Hospitality, and Manufacturing sectors. Statewide, Rockford saw the biggest drop from March of last year to March of this year at more than 3-percent. Illinois Department of Employment Security spokesman Bob Gough says the numbers are a good sign.
The Illinois unemployment rate is 4.4 percent with the national rate at 4.1 percent. The highest unemployment rate in the region is 6.8 percent in Stark County.