CHICAGO – The latest news on Illinois' jobless rate is neither really bad nor really good: The October rate was unchanged from September's 8.8 percent, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported on Friday.

Seasonally adjusted data showed a modest 4,800 jobs were created in October, driven by the leisure and hospitality industry as well as education and health.

In a favorable comparison, IDES Director Jay Rowell drew attention to the 10 percent unemployment rate in October last year. The lower rate this October, he argued, "shows steady economic progress."