That is about the same improvement as in the larger Chicago metro area, where unemployment has fallen to 8–1/2 percent. Metro Chicago has added 183,000 jobs since 2009, just below the rate for job gains nationwide. 1 But while there has been steady progress, there is also no doubt that the economy and the job market are not back to normal health.
That will not be news to many of you, or to the 348,000 people in and around Chicago who were counted as looking for work in January. 2 It will not be news to consumers or to owners of small and medium-sized businesses, who surveys say remain cautious about the strength and durability of the recovery.