Bottom lines drop for employment, Star 60

BusinessRockford.com

Scorecard

Stock index tumbles in June
In June, the Dow Jones industrial average suffered its steepest decline since the Great Depression.

The Register Star’s Star 60 stock index didn’t do as poorly, but it was hardly a stellar month.

The Star 60’s decline of nearly 18 percent, compared with June 2007, was its largest year-over-year decline since March 2003, when it fell nearly 27 percent.

Job growth slows in May
The number of people employed in Boone and Winnebago counties dropped from April, although it did record a slight gain from May 2007, according to estimates from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

The drop from the number of people working in April was the first time that May employment had fallen, compared with April, since 2003.

Seasonal hiring in construction and tourism was softer than usual.