CHAMPAIGN (AP) – Illinois’ unemployment rose to 9 percent in January, the state Department of Employment Security said Thursday, blaming the increase in part on the continuing weak recovery from the recession.

The figure was up from 8.7 percent in December and back to almost the 9.1 percent rate of January 2012.

Department officials also said the numbers in Thursday’s report show that some of the state’s hundreds of thousands of unemployed people who had stopped looking for work may be growing more optimistic about the state employment situation.