The pace of job loss in Illinois slowed in November, causing a very gradual dip in the state's unemployment rate. According to new data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the rate fell one-tenth of one percent, from 11 percent in October to 10.9 percent last month. Here's our updated graph on the Illinois numbers compared to the national average:

While educational and health services, as well as professional and business services, all experienced modest growth, November marked the 22nd consecutive month in which the state shed jobs.

So how can the state lose more jobs than it gained but still report a lower unemployment rate than the previous month? In a December 4 article on the national figures, the AP explained:

The unemployment rate fell because the number of jobless Americans dropped by 325,000 to 15.4 million. The jobless rate is calculated from a survey of households, while the number of jobs lost or gain is calculated from a separate survey of business and government establishments. The two surveys can sometimes vary.

The rate also dropped because fewer people are looking for work. The size of the labor force, which includes the employed and those actively searching for jobs, fell by nearly 100,000, the third straight decline. That indicates more of the unemployed are giving up on looking for work.