When it comes to Illinois', Iowa's, and the U.S. Economy, the Quad Cities comes out on top.
Compared to March 2011, the unemployment rate fell in every metro area in Illinois last month. New numbers released April 26, 2012 from the Illinois Department of Employment Security show the jobless rate for the Quad Cities in March 2012 was 7.6% - the third lowest rate in the entire state.
Bloomington-Normal had the lowest rate in the state with 6.7%. The highest unemployment rate in Illinois is still Rockford with 11.7%.
Overall, Illinois' unemployment rate is 9% compared to the national jobless rate of 8.4% in March.
Still, it's good news for the QCA, especially in light of a recent report showing more people are filing for unemployment. The U.S. Department of Labor says new applications for unemployment benefits remain near the highest level in nearly four months - showing the labor market's recent improvement may actually be slowing.
Kelly Meyer with QCEmployMe.com says she's seeing more job postings on the website and also new employers.
"John Deere has already been in a gearing up mode," says Meyer. "HON is in a gearing up stage. APAC is hiring an additional 250 people. The big news is Seaford Clothing Company bringing back 400 people and we're getting a new call center relocating in the Quad Cities, adding later this year, so a lot of new and exciting things."
Iowa's unemployment rate was way below the national average in March 2012 - at 5.2%. Bettendorf recorded a 4.7% jobless rate and Davenport was at 7.1%.
QCEmployMe.com is free for job seekers. They're also holding a job fair next month. You can find more information at http://www.qcemployme.com/.