Illinois Unemployment Rate Tops 10%

Unemployment in Illinois and the U.S. continues to balloon amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The state reported 81,596 first-time claims in the week ending April 25, during which time more than 3.8 million claims were submitted nationally.

That means 818,917 Illinoisans filed for unemployment since March 21, and 681,041 drew unemployment benefits during the week ending April 25. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that is about 10.7 percent of Illinois’ civilian work force.

The claims from March 1 to April 25 this year were more than 10 times those made in the same period last...