By Angela Hatton
Springfield, IL – Unemployment rates in Illinois and Tennessee fell last month. Illinois officials say the state's unemployment rate fell to 10.4 percent in June, four percentage points lower than in May. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the June rate represents the third consecutive monthly drop. But IDES Director Maureen O'Donnell cautions that long-term trends will be a better gauge of the state's economic health because the rate is bound to fluctuate even during an economic recovery. Tennessee's unemployment rate for June was 10.1 percent, down three-tenths of a percent. State Labor Commissioner James Neeley says the unemployment rate fell as a result of modest gains in employment in construction and leisure/hospitality. Job losses occurred in education and census work.