The number of people filing unemployment claims increased slightly from September to October. The Illinois Department of Employment Security reports the unemployment rate at 8.7 percent in the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area. That’s up two-tenths of a percent from September. It’s also a more than one-percent increase from the same time last year.
Also, 4,l00 fewer jobs were added last month compared to last October. That’s largely due to a temporary layoff in manufacturing jobs. But more than 1,500 jobs were added in educational-health services compared to the same time last year.