The unemployment rate dropped half a percentage point last month in Wabash County. The Illinois Department of Employment Security reports the local rate went from 3.9% in September to 3.5% in October. But while the rate dropped half a point in the latest report, it is a half point higher than the October 2022 figure. In the Olney-Mt. Carmel region,IDES says total non-farm employment increased by 350 jobs in October 2023 compared to October 2022. Payrolls increased in Government, Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, Educational and Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Professional and Business Services. Payrolls were unchanged in Financial Activities, Information, and Construction over the year. Payroll employment decreased in the Manufacturing and Natural Resources and Mining industries.