The unemployment rate for the Peoria MSA rose to 10.3% in June largely due to an increase in the labor force. Over 1,400 jobs were created in the Peoria MSA in June, but that was outpaced by almost 3,700 people joining the labor force. The increase in labor force shows that more people are actively seeking work and many of them are new to the Peoria metro workforce (meaning they weren't previously working) or they have moved to the Peoria metro in search of work.
Monthly workforce comparison for Peoria MSA
Workforce Employed Unemployed
April, 2010 202,689 180,591 22,098
May, 2010 201,581 182,898 18,683
June, 2010 205,373 184,312 21,061
Monthly Unemployment rate comparison
Peoria MSA National Illinois
April, 2010 10.9 9.5 10.8
May, 2010 9.3 9.3 10
June, 2010 10.3 9.5 10.4