Labor Force / Employment in Southwestern Illinois
Labor Force & Unemployment Labor force is defined as those individuals, employed or looking for work, who live in the area represented. The labor force in Southwestern Illinois represented 263,065 individuals in 2009, down from 267,653 in 2008, while the unemployment rate rose from 7.4 percent the previous year to 10.2 percent in 2009. This labor force accounts for approximately 18 percent of the St. Louis Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) total. “According to Expansion Management and Logistics Today magazines’ 6th Annual logistics quotient study, the St. Louis region tops the list of best regions for Transportation and Warehousing Work Force for the second consecutive year."		LABOR FORCE   2009 Madison County   139,060 St. Clair County   124,087 Southwestern Illinois   263,147       TOTAL EMPLOYED     Madison County   124,917 St. Clair County   110,609 Southwestern Illinois   235,526       UNEMPLOYMENT RATE     Madison County   10.2 St. Clair County   10.9 Southwestern Illinois   10.6       Source: Illinois Department of Employment Security

Private Sector Employment by Industrial Classification

As of 3rd Quarter 2009, there were 11,070 private sector employers in Madison and St. Clair counties, which is comparable to what was reported at the end of 2008. However, Southwestern Illinois saw its private sector employment rates decrease with a loss of 6,428 jobs. While the number of goods-producing jobs in Southwestern Illinois had remained relatively stable in recent years, from 2008 to 3rd Quarter 2009, the sector experienced a loss of 2,162 jobs. Service-providing jobs also decreased, but continue to represent just over 82 percent of the total number of jobs in Southwestern Illinois.

Private Sector Employment

Southwestern Illinois 2009 Work Force

Work force is defined as those who work in the area represented, but may live elsewhere. A total of 235,965 individuals are employed in Madison and St. Clair counties with 151,956 of these in the private sector. As in recent years, the Trade/Transportation/Utilities sector in 2009 accounted for more than one quarter of the total number of jobs in Southwestern Illinois, while Education and Health Services was the next largest sector with 18.9 percent of the jobs.  Manufacturing is down 2 percent, while construction jobs have remained steady, which is in part due to continuing investments at Scott Air Force Base and huge projects like ConocoPhillips and U.S. Steel, Granite City Works.

                                      

(Totals may not equal one-hundred percent due to rounding)

* Though not one company, Rivers Edge (old Mel Price Depot) is currently supporting over 700 jobs.

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