Number of employed individuals in Decatur decreases 5% from February-March 2020

Recently released data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) shows that the number of employed individuals in Decatur decreased from 29,176 in February to 27,813 in March, a decrease of 1,363 (5%). 

The city may be experiencing the lowest number of employed individuals in at least 45 years.  Using annual data from the IDES between 1974-2019, the number of employed individuals ranged from 40,932 in 1977 to 29,979 in 2019.  Given that Illinois’ stay-at-home order was initiated in the second half of March, the number of employed individuals in Decatur will likely further decline in April and May. 

JOB LISTINGS IN THE DECATUR AREA DECREASE 62% IN ONE MONTH

Each month, the Economic and Community Development Department records the number of job listings in the Decatur area as reported by Indeed.com. There were 1,385 job listings in the February report compared to 522 job listings in the March report, a decrease of 62%.

THE DECATUR CITY COUNCIL WILL BE MEETING IN MAY TO DISCUSS THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF COVID-19

The 5% decrease in the number of employed individuals, coupled with a 62% decrease in the number of job listings, creates significant economic uncertainty for city residents and city government.  One challenge for local governments is the time-lag between when economic impacts are occurring and when data about the impacts are released.  This makes it more difficult to forecast impacts and make data-driven decisions about how to provide public services in a period of significant fiscal uncertainty.  In May, the city council will begin meeting in earnest to discuss budgetary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.