State officials say unemployment in Illinois inched up to 9.5% in July, the third consecutive month it has increased.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security says there were 24,900 fewer jobs reported last month.

Unemployment for Illinois was 9.1% in June. But the rate one year ago in July was 10.1%.

The numbers were released Thursday and are based on data from the state agency and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The director of the employment security department is Jay Rowell. He says the July increase, which follows 15 months of declines, reflects uncertainty in consumer confidence and the volatility in the national economy.

He says long term data is a better indicator.