(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- There are mixed reports about the job market in Illinois.
Kristin Richards, who leads the Illinois Department of Employment Security, says the state has seen record low numbers for jobless benefits claims for six straight months.
That's a sign that the state's economy is rebounding from the pandemic, she said.
But University of Illinois economist Fred Giertz points out the latest federal statistics show the unemployment rate in Illinois was a full percentage point above the national average and was the highest among the 50 states.
Giertz says the state's economy is growing, but slowing down.
He says it's too soon to say if that slowing growth will lead to a recession, or what he calls a "soft landing" that avoids one.
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