Unemployment Drops; State Adds 52,600 Jobs in 2011 - Illinois Up +95,900 Jobs Since Recovery Began

CHICAGO – The December unemployment rate fell to 9.8 percent and the state shed 4,100 jobs, according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The data is seasonally adjusted. The unemployment rate averaged 9.4 percent in 2011, down 0.9 percentage points from 2010.