Information sector bright spot as Illinois job market remains sluggishIllinois showed slow job growth as the state trailed national trends. With unemployment at 4.4% in August, about 292,000 Illinoisans were looking for work, highlighting ongoing challenges in the state’s job market. While Illinois’ unemployment rate has declined modestly in recent months, that’s largely because people stopped looking for work. Illinois saw its biggest job gains in the information sector, which added 4,800 jobs for a solid 5.38% growth rate. Among its neighboring states, Illinois ranks last – seventh out of seven states – in job recovery since the pandemic began.