CHICAGO — Illinois added 9,100 jobs in March and the unemployment rate fell for the seventh consecutive month to reach 8.8 percent, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The data is seasonally adjusted. The last time the rate was below 8.8 percent was February 2009 when it was 8.5 percent.

“The monthly snapshot of job growth and lower unemployment adds to the overall trend of an improving Illinois economy,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said.