The March unemployment rate in Illinois fell to 8.4 percent, the lowest level since January 2009, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.  The rate fell despite more people entering the labor force to look for work.  As expected, however, the unseasonably cold and snowy weather in March dampened initial estimates for new hiring.  Combined with continued job loss at the government level, the state recorded 3,200 fewer jobs than in February, but 29,400 more than one year ago.  The unemployment rate and job creation numbers can move independently of each other because they come from different surveys.  Illinois employers added 257,000 private sector jobs since January 2010 when job growth returned following nearly two years of consecutive monthly declines.  In March 2014, the number of unemployed individuals fell 17,100 to 551,900.  Total unemployed has fallen 201,600 or 26.8 percent since January 2010 when the rate peaked at 11.4 percent.  The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and seeking employment.  A person who exhausts benefits, or is ineligible, still will be reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.