Federal Executive Branch
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USFK Commander Observes Cobra Gold 2026, Strengthening Multilateral Readiness Across the Indo-Pacific
SEOUL, South Korea, March 5 -- The U.S. Forces Korea, a subordinate unified command of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, issued the following news release:
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USFK Commander Observes Cobra Gold 2026, Strengthening Multilateral Readiness Across the Indo-Pacific
CAMP RED HORSE, Thailand -- Gen. Xavier Brunson, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea, traveled to the Kingdom of Thailand March 2-3 to observe Cobra Gold 2026, one of the largest multinational military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.
Brunson's visit underscored USFK's sustained focus on combined
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SEOUL, South Korea, March 5 -- The U.S. Forces Korea, a subordinate unified command of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, issued the following news release:
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USFK Commander Observes Cobra Gold 2026, Strengthening Multilateral Readiness Across the Indo-Pacific
CAMP RED HORSE, Thailand -- Gen. Xavier Brunson, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea, traveled to the Kingdom of Thailand March 2-3 to observe Cobra Gold 2026, one of the largest multinational military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.
Brunson's visit underscored USFK's sustained focus on combinedreadiness and the deepening of alliance relationships that form the foundation of regional stability. His visit showcases how the specialized capabilities honed on the Korean Peninsula integrate into a broader, multinational framework of stability.
"Cobra Gold is a powerful demonstration of what happens when like-minded nations commit to a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific," said Brunson. "The level of synchronization I observed across the combined joint all-domain environment is exactly what makes our deterrence credible. Our collective ability to operate seamlessly across borders and domains today ensures we can meet any challenge to regional stability tomorrow."
A key highlight of this year's iteration was the robust participation of U.S. Space Forces Korea (SPACEFOR-KR). Guardians integrated space-based capabilities directly into Combined Joint All-Domain Operations (CJADO) scenarios, synchronizing effects across land, sea, air, and cyber domains in a contested environment.
Col. John Patrick, commander of U.S. Space Forces Korea, emphasized the significance of the exercise for the space domain community.
"Cobra Gold gave us the opportunity to stress-test how space capabilities integrate into a combined, all-domain environment alongside our allies and partners," Patrick said. "Synchronizing space effects with ground, maritime, and air forces during C2X and field training exercises is exactly how we build the kind of interoperability that matters in a real contingency. Our Guardians performed exceptionally, and this experience will directly sharpen our readiness in the Korean theater."
The Republic of Korea Navy and Marine Corps also participated in Cobra Gold 2026, further demonstrating the strength and breadth of the ROK-U.S. Alliance. Maj. Gen. Valerie Jackson, commanding general of U.S. Marine Forces Korea, attended the exercise to observe training and engage directly with ROK Marine counterparts -- reinforcing the close operational bonds between U.S. and Korean amphibious forces.
"Every time U.S. and ROK Marines train together, we come away sharper, more integrated, and more lethal as a combined force," said Jackson. "Cobra Gold gave our Marines and their Korean counterparts a chance to build the trust and tactical proficiency that only comes from operating side by side. The ROK Marines are outstanding partners, and the relationships forged here will pay dividends long after this exercise concludes."
During his visit, Brunson met with leadership from the Joint United States Military Advisory Group Thailand (JUSMAGTHAI). The engagement served as a vital touchpoint to reaffirm the enduring security partnership between the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand, an United Nations Command (UNC) Sending State during the Korean War.
"Thailand's commitment to the United Nations Command dates back to the very beginning of the Korean War, and that spirit of solidarity remains a vital pillar of our collective security today," Brunson noted. "Through JUSMAGTHAI and our shared participation in exercises like Cobra Gold, we continue to honor that legacy by ensuring our forces remain ready, integrated, and capable of maintaining peace on the Peninsula and throughout the region."
Cobra Gold is a Thailand-hosted exercise that brings together partner and allied nations to enhance interoperability, build regional partnerships, and strengthen collective security across the Indo-Pacific. This year's iteration showcased the growing integration of emerging warfighting domains and the enduring commitment of the United States and its partners to a free, open, and prosperous region.
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Original text here: https://www.usfk.mil/Media/Press-Products/Press-Releases/Article/4420545/usfk-commander-observes-cobra-gold-2026-strengthening-multilateral-readiness-ac/
President Trump Issues Proclamation on Ratepayer Protection Pledge
WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The White House issued the following news on March 4, 2026:
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RATEPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE PROCLAMATION
America's continued economic and technological leadership depends on reliable, large-scale data center infrastructure built in the United States. Data center infrastructure is the foundation of the internet, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI), and it supports our economic and national security. In order to harness the full power of American innovation and ensure that Americans do not become reliant on foreign industries, the development of large-scale
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WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The White House issued the following news on March 4, 2026:
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RATEPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE PROCLAMATION
America's continued economic and technological leadership depends on reliable, large-scale data center infrastructure built in the United States. Data center infrastructure is the foundation of the internet, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI), and it supports our economic and national security. In order to harness the full power of American innovation and ensure that Americans do not become reliant on foreign industries, the development of large-scaledata center infrastructure and AI must occur here at home, with American workers and engineers leading the way. Our investments in these industries will also employ Americans across a wide array of professions in a shared endeavor that will bolster our Nation's economic standing for years to come.
However, as data centers expand their footprint and electricity demand associated with AI increases, American households must be protected against increasing energy costs. The hyperscalers and AI companies that increase electricity demand must pay for the full cost of the energy and infrastructure needed to build and operate data centers, and must not pass this cost on to the American people. Instead, the data center boom should be leveraged to address affordability and benefit all American households and businesses.
Today, pursuant to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, leading United States hyperscalers and AI companies guarantee that data centers' energy needs will not increase household electricity costs for American citizens. Instead, these companies will build, bring, or buy the new generation resources and electricity needed to satisfy their energy demands, and pay for all new power delivery infrastructure upgrades to service their data centers. They will voluntarily negotiate new, separate rate structures with their utilities and relevant State governments, and pay those rates, and for their infrastructure, whether they use the electricity or not. They will also invest in local communities and coordinate with grid operators to contribute to a more reliable grid. These measures will ensure that Americans are protected from higher energy prices, benefit from grid upgrades and increased grid resilience, and benefit from this technological boom while the United States continues its global leadership in innovation and advanced technology.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim as follows:
(1) The Ratepayer Protection Pledge and the commitments embodied therein effectuate the national policy of the United States.
(2) On this day, March 4, 2026, seven leading technology companies have accepted the terms of the Ratepayer Protection Pledge.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
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Original text here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ratepayer-protection-pledge-proclamation/
Justice Department Reaches $668M Settlement Agreement for Continued Cleanup of Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site in Seattle Area
WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division issued the following news release on March 4, 2026:
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Justice Department Reaches $668M Settlement Agreement for Continued Cleanup of Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site in Seattle Area
Today, the Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and State of Washington reached agreement on a proposed settlement with more than 100 responsible parties to address hazardous substances released into the Lower Duwamish Waterway in Seattle. Cleanup work is estimated to cost $668 million
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WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division issued the following news release on March 4, 2026:
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Justice Department Reaches $668M Settlement Agreement for Continued Cleanup of Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site in Seattle Area
Today, the Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and State of Washington reached agreement on a proposed settlement with more than 100 responsible parties to address hazardous substances released into the Lower Duwamish Waterway in Seattle. Cleanup work is estimated to cost $668 millionand take at least 10 years to complete.
Under the settlement, the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group -- which consists of the Boeing Company, the City of Seattle and King County -- agreed to design and perform the cleanup plan EPA selected for the in-water portion of the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site.
The cleanup plan requires Boeing, Seattle, and King County to conduct dredging and capping and take other measures to clean up the most contaminated parts of the Waterway. To help fund the required work, the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group will receive about $130 million from other responsible parties and about $140 million from federal agencies.
"The Duwamish is a vital asset to Seattle and the surrounding community. By lodging this settlement with the court today and seeking public comment, we take a big step toward restoring the Lower Duwamish," said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Justin Heminger of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "We are proud to play an integral role in negotiating with more than one hundred other parties to achieve this milestone agreement."
"This settlement finally ensures full-scale cleanup of the Lower Duwamish Waterway," said Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall of EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "The cost-sharing agreement resulting from negotiations among many parties shows that this Administration will make good on its promise to expedite cleanup of hazardous pollutants while ensuring responsible parties are held accountable and the public is not left with the bill for the cleanup."
"This settlement demonstrates EPA's commitment to protecting public health, cleaning up contaminated sites, and advancing cooperative federalism with our state partners," said EPA Region 10 Administrator Emma Pokon. "Cleaning up this waterway will enhance residents' use, support safer fishing, protect wildlife, and foster a vibrant industrial core in the heart of Seattle."
The Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site is a five-mile segment of Seattle's only river, the Duwamish. The Waterway has served as Seattle's major industrial corridor since the early 1900s, hosting industries such as airplane manufacturing, timber operations, cement and brick manufacturing, steel mills and foundries, marine construction and repair, drum recycling and chemical production. Discharges from these industries, and combined sewage and stormwater systems and stormwater systems, contributed to sediment contamination within the waterway.
EPA identified 41 hazardous substances in sediments that pose significant risks to human health and the environment in the Waterway; these include polychlorinated biphenyls, arsenic, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, and furans.
This settlement demonstrates EPA's commitment to protect public health, clean up contaminated lands, and advance cooperative federalism with our state partners. Cleaning up this vital waterway will enhance existing residential and recreational uses, support safer fishing and fish habitats, protect wildlife and foster a healthy, vibrant industrial core in the heart of Seattle.
The settlement is authorized under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (commonly known as Superfund) and Washington State's Model Toxics Control Act for releases of hazardous substances.
More information is available on EPA's Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site webpage. For more on this settlement, visit EPA's settlement summary webpage.
Attorneys with Environment and Natural Resources Division's Environmental Enforcement Section filed the settlement in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. It is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval. The proposed consent decree and information on submitting comments is available at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-reaches-668m-settlement-agreement-continued-cleanup-lower-duwamish
FCC: Carr Proposes Call Center Onshoring, English Proficiency Requirements
WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following news release on March 4, 2026:
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Carr Proposes Call Center Onshoring, English Proficiency Requirements
Rulemaking Opens New Front in Robocall Crackdown, Too, While Bringing Back American Jobs and Improving Customer Service
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Today, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the Commission will be voting this month on proposals regarding the use of offshore call centers by certain U.S. businesses. First, the FCC will vote on reforms that can encourage businesses to bring call center jobs back the U.S. Second,
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WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following news release on March 4, 2026:
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Carr Proposes Call Center Onshoring, English Proficiency Requirements
Rulemaking Opens New Front in Robocall Crackdown, Too, While Bringing Back American Jobs and Improving Customer Service
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Today, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the Commission will be voting this month on proposals regarding the use of offshore call centers by certain U.S. businesses. First, the FCC will vote on reforms that can encourage businesses to bring call center jobs back the U.S. Second,the FCC will explore ways to improve customer service at existing call centers, including a proposal to require call takers to be proficient in American Standard English. Third, the FCC will address illegal robocalls that originate abroad by seeking comment on the targeted use of tariffs or bonds. These proposals focus on the customer service centers run by the communications providers regulated by the FCC.
Chairman Carr issued the following statement:
"Americans get frustrated when they call a U.S. business and end up connecting with a call center located abroad. Language and communications barriers often make it difficult for callers to promptly and efficiently get the results they want. And these foreign-based call centers often create a heightened security risk as well. So the FCC will be voting on several proposals designed to reshore call center jobs and improve the customer service experience at the ones that remain--including by seeking comment on requiring call center workers to be proficient in American Standard English. The FCC will also be opening up a new front in our efforts to block illegal robocalls from abroad by examining the targeted use of tariffs or bonds."
Additional Background Information:
Over the past few decades, many corporations shifted their customer service and call center operations from America to a range of foreign countries - with nearly 70 percent of U.S. companies outsourcing at least one department. These moves not only took jobs away from communities across the country, they created a range of other problems as well. Today, consumers in the U.S. regularly experience frustration and poor customer service when they connect with a call center located abroad. There can be language, communication, and other barriers that make it difficult if not impossible for consumers to get a satisfactory resolution to their problem.
The over-reliance on foreign call centers is a risk to privacy, data protection, and even national security. Call centers often work with customers' sensitive payment and account information. Yet, many foreign countries do not impose the same legal protections as the United States. In addition, foreign call centers have contributed to the onslaught of robocalls facing American households and businesses, often leveraging the training and the infrastructure used to operate legitimate call centers to defraud Americans.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposed today would seek comment on:
* Ways to encourage and facilitate the onshoring of call centers, including limits on call volume from overseas call centers, empowering consumers to transfer calls to a U.S.-based location, or requiring covered providers to disclose the location of the call center during the customer interaction;
* Steps the FCC can take to improve the customer service and security of communications between an American and any call center that remains abroad, including requiring workers at call centers to be proficient in American Standard English and otherwise be trained appropriately for resolving issues with U.S. customers;
* How best to address illegal robocall scams that originate inside foreign call centers, such as ways we can take the profit out of those operations (including specifically the idea of requiring the use of bonds or tariffs in appropriate circumstances); and,
* The scope of the FCC's legal authority, including the types of covered businesses, applicability of rules to call centers operated by communications providers regulated by the FCC, acknowledging limits on the FCC's authority to address all potential call centers located overseas.
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-419225A1.pdf
DOE Argonne National Laboratory: Measuring Pollutant-Destroying Molecules Used in Water Treatment
ARGONNE, Illinois, March 5 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory issued the following news release:
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Measuring pollutant-destroying molecules used in water treatment
Detection technique opens new paths for clean water technologies
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Reactive oxygen species are powerful enough to clean our water and more. Argonne researchers found a highly sensitive way to measure them in real time.
From brightly colored textile dyes to persistent pesticides and antibiotics, many modern pollutants dissolved in water -- such as Bisphenol A -- resist traditional treatment
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ARGONNE, Illinois, March 5 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory issued the following news release:
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Measuring pollutant-destroying molecules used in water treatment
Detection technique opens new paths for clean water technologies
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Reactive oxygen species are powerful enough to clean our water and more. Argonne researchers found a highly sensitive way to measure them in real time.
From brightly colored textile dyes to persistent pesticides and antibiotics, many modern pollutants dissolved in water -- such as Bisphenol A -- resist traditional treatmentmethods. A promising approach uses electricity to power chemical reactions in water over an electrode surface. Much like in a battery, electrodes send and receive electrical current that drives chemical reactions.
This process, known as electrocatalysis, generates a class of highly reactive oxygen-containing compounds, known as reactive oxygen species or oxidants, at the electrode surface. These powerful oxidants, which include ozone and hydrogen peroxide, can break down even the most stubborn contaminants, producing cleaner water. However, because these oxygen species are unstable, degrade over time and exist in trace amounts -- down to the parts-per-billion level -- they have been notoriously difficult to detect and quantify.
In a study published in ACS Catalysis (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acscatal.4c06271), researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory report a new method for detecting and quantifying these short-lived oxygen species in real time with unprecedented sensitivity. Their approach revealed not only how much of each oxidant is produced, but also which specific species are formed under different treatment conditions.
"These oxygen species don't last long, and they're hard to detect individually," said Argonne Electrochemist Scientist Pietro Papa Lopes, who led the study. "But knowing which ones are present and in what quantities is essential for improving water treatment technologies."
Importantly, the team's findings have applications beyond water treatment. One example is fuel cells. They convert hydrogen or other chemical fuels into electricity. Another is electrolyzers. They can split water molecules to produce hydrogen fuel or convert carbon dioxide into aviation fuels, for example.
The researchers used a method involving two electrodes to determine which oxidants were generated at the electrode surface. The first was a disk where a water oxidation reaction took place, generating the reactive oxygen species. The second was a concentric ring electrode. It produced an electrical signal that could detect and quantify the reactive oxygen species.
They tested the performance of three materials as the disk electrode: lead dioxide, platinum and iridium oxide. Lead dioxide was selected for its known ability to generate significant amounts of ozone and relevance to pollutant degradation. Platinum and iridium oxide were included as controls, as earlier studies had suggested they do not produce measurable amounts of reactive oxygen species. But the results told a different story.
"Somewhat to our surprise, at high voltages, all three electrode materials produced measurable levels of hydrogen peroxide and ozone," said Papa Lopes. "That finding matters. Those oxidants can degrade membranes and other components used in electrochemical technologies, which could impact their long-term performance."
Another key result involved Faradaic efficiency -- a measure of how much input electricity is converted into useful chemical products. The team found that lead dioxide converted up to 30% of the electrical energy into ozone. That's a high efficiency for systems of this type and suggests strong potential for scalable pollutant breakdown technologies.
The study provides a new benchmark for scientists and engineers working to advance electrochemical water purification. By establishing a consistent, sensitive method for identifying and quantifying reactive oxygen species in electrochemical systems, the research enables better system design and more meaningful comparisons across experiments and technologies.
This work was conducted through the Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems (AMEWS) Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center led by Argonne and supported by DOE. AMEWS seeks to understand how water -- and the substances it carries -- interacts with solid materials at the molecular level.
In addition to Papa Lopes, contributing authors at Argonne include Igor Messias, Jacob Kupferberg, Askley Bielinski and Alex Martinson, as well as Raphael Nagao at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Brazil. The research was funded by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
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Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
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The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.
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Original text here: https://www.anl.gov/article/measuring-pollutantdestroying-molecules-used-in-water-treatment
BLS: Force, Mass, Mechanisms, and Vectors - Employment Projections and Wages in Engineering
WASHINGTON, March 5 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on March 4, 2026, from Economics Daily:
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Force, mass, mechanisms, and vectors: employment projections and wages in engineering
Engineers work in a diverse range of fields, such as agriculture, energy, transportation, biotechnology, computing, and manufacturing. But no matter their field, all engineers apply scientific principles to construct, power, and repair our world.
Pay for many engineering occupations is more than $100,000 per year. In 2024, the annual median pay
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 5 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on March 4, 2026, from Economics Daily:
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Force, mass, mechanisms, and vectors: employment projections and wages in engineering
Engineers work in a diverse range of fields, such as agriculture, energy, transportation, biotechnology, computing, and manufacturing. But no matter their field, all engineers apply scientific principles to construct, power, and repair our world.
Pay for many engineering occupations is more than $100,000 per year. In 2024, the annual median payfor engineers ranged from $84,630 for agricultural engineers to $155,020 for computer hardware engineers.
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Chart: Annual median pay, engineering occupations, 2024
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From 2024 to 2034, employment for several engineering occupations is projected to grow faster than the 3.1-percent average for all occupations. Industrial engineers (11.0 percent) and mechanical engineers (9.1 percent) are among the fastest growing. Industrial engineers is projected to add 38,500 jobs over the decade, and mechanical engineers is projected to add 26,500.
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Chart: Percent change in employment, engineering occupations, projected 2024-34
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These data are from the Employment Projections (https://www.bls.gov/emp/) program. For more information, see Architecture and Engineering Occupations (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/) in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/).
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SUGGESTED CITATION
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Force, mass, mechanisms, and vectors: employment projections and wages in engineering at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/force-mass-mechanisms-and-vectors-employment-projections-and-wages-in-engineering.htm (visited March 05, 2026).
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/force-mass-mechanisms-and-vectors-employment-projections-and-wages-in-engineering.htm
BLS Midwest Region Issues Report on Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Illinois 2025
CHICAGO, Illinois, March 5 (TNSLrpt) -- Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Illinois 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Region - March 4, 2026
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In 2025, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 8.6 percent in Illinois, compared to the 8.0-percent rate for the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak
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CHICAGO, Illinois, March 5 (TNSLrpt) -- Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Illinois 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Region - March 4, 2026
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In 2025, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 8.6 percent in Illinois, compared to the 8.0-percent rate for the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniaknoted that the measure corresponding to the official concept of unemployment, U-3 (all jobless persons who are available to take a job and have actively sought work in the past 4 weeks), was 4.6 percent for Illinois. Nationally, the U-3 rate was 4.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The Technical Note at the end of this release provides additional information on the differences between unemployment measures and the reliability of Current Population Survey (CPS) estimates.
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Chart 1. The six alternative measures of labor underutilization, Illinois and the United States, 2025 11-month averages
Table A. Alternative measures of labor underutilization for Illinois and the United States, 2025 11-month averages
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Illinois had 300,000 unemployed residents, according to the CPS. (See chart 2.) In addition, there were 192,700 workers who were employed part time for economic reasons (also known as involuntary part time). These individuals were working part time because of slack work or business conditions or because they were unable to find a full-time job.
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Chart 2. Numbers of selected underutilized workers in Illinois, 2025 11-month averages
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In Illinois, 74,200 individuals were considered marginally attached to the labor force, indicating they want to work and have looked in the past year, but have not actively looked in the last four weeks for reasons such as school attendance, family responsibilities, or because they believe no jobs are available. The U-5 measure, which incorporates marginally attached workers, was 5.7 percent in Illinois. In the United States, the U-5 measure was 5.2 percent.
Within Illinois' marginally attached population, 24,700 (33 percent) were discouraged workers who have stopped searching mainly because they believe no jobs are available to them. The U-4 measure, which includes discouraged workers and the unemployed, was 5.0 percent in Illinois; the national rate was 4.6 percent.
See table 1 for national and state estimates.
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2025 Federal Government Shutdown
This news release presents 11-month averages from the CPS for 2025 that exclude the October reference month. Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown. As a result, these estimates are not strictly comparable with annual averages for other years.
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Technical Note
The estimates in this release are based upon the six measures of labor underutilization produced by the Current Population Survey (CPS). For the United States, BLS publishes these six measures monthly in the Employment Situation news release. The state-level alternative measures of labor underutilization are provided each quarter as 4-quarter moving averages.
Measures of unemployment
The U-3 rates for states presented in this release are derived directly from the CPS and are not the official unemployment rates. The official unemployment rates for states are the model-based estimates available through the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program and may differ from the CPS estimates. The LAUS estimates are developed from statistical models that incorporate CPS estimates in addition to data from other sources. The LAUS models greatly improve the reliability of the monthly top-side labor force and unemployment estimates. CPS estimates are used in this release because this is the only source of data for the various components of the other five measures.
The other CPS measures are provided to data users and analysts who want more narrowly (U-1 and U-2) or broadly (U-4 through U-6) defined measures.
Additional information on the differences between the CPS and LAUS estimates can be found in Notes on Using Current Population Survey (CPS) Subnational Data.
Reliability of estimates
The alternative measures for states are analyzed on a 4-quarter average basis in order to increase the reliability of the CPS estimates, which are based on relatively small sample sizes at the state level, and to eliminate seasonality. Due to the small state sample sizes, neither monthly nor quarterly statewide data from the CPS satisfy BLS publication standards.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
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Table 1. Alternative measures of labor underutilization by state, 2025 11-month averages (percent)
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/news-release/2026/laborunderutilization_illinois_20260304.htm
