The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.6 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +12,800 in May, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The April monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +9,300 to +6,400 jobs. The April unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 4.6 percent. The May payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th. In May, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Leisure and Hospitality (+6,000), Educational and Health Services (+3,300) and Construction (+2,600). The industry sectors that reported monthly payroll declines were: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-800), Other Services (-800) and Mining (-100). The state’s unemployment rate was +1.0 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for May, which was 3.6 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -1.9 percentage points from a year ago when it was at 6.5 percent. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.