The Mercer County unemployment rate jumps to 15.6 percent. The number is for April and represents the first full month impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Double digit unemployment rates are also in play in Henderson – 15.2 percent; Henry – 15.3 percent; Knox – 14.6 percent; Rock Island – 17.5 percent; and Warren County – 10.2 percent, according to figures released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The area hasn’t seen those type of numbers since 1983. In the region, total nonfarm employment decreased 21,200 compared to April 2019. Leisure-Hospitality (-6,700), Professional-Business Services (-3,800), Government (-2,300), Manufacturing (-2,200), and Retail Trade (-2,200) sectors recorded the largest employment declines compared to one year ago.
Statewide, the unemployment rate sits at 16.9 percent with the national rate at 14.4 percent.
The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and seeking employment. A person who exhausts benefits, or is ineligible, still will be reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
