The unemployment rate in Illinois climbed one-tenth of a point to 4.4 percent in March as the state recorded a net loss of 2,300 jobs, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday.

According to preliminary, seasonally adjusted numbers, the biggest job losses occurred in the professional and business services sector, which lost 4,200 jobs, transportation and utilities, which shed 3,000 jobs, and the construction industry, where employment was down by 1,600 jobs.

Those losses were partially offset by job gains in manufacturing, financial activities, leisure and hospitality, and other services.

Meanwhile, the number of people counted as unemployed in March grew 1.1 percent from February, to 284,400. That was 1.3 percent higher than in March 2018.

Nationally, the U.S. economy added 196,000 jobs in March, while the nation’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.8 percent.

94.1 WGFA