July unemployment: joblessness up across the state

Almost all metropolitan areas across Illinois saw an increase in their unemployment rate in July. According to the latest seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, eight of Illinois’ 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, saw their unemployment rates increase. The only region to experience a drop was Chicago, while the...

Almost all metropolitan areas across Illinois saw an increase in their unemployment rate in July.

According to the latest seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, eight of Illinois’ 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, saw their unemployment rates increase. The only region to experience a drop was Chicago, while the Champaign-Urbana region remained unchanged.

Results were more mixed when compared to July 2012. Several regions, such as the Rockford and Kankakee-Bradley areas, have experienced a mild unemployment rate drop. Others, such as the Danville and Peoria areas, have seen increases. The Decatur area saw its unemployment rate rise the most dramatically, to 11.9 percent. Decatur now has the highest unemployment rate among Illinois MSAs, with more than 6,000 people now looking for work in that area.

The employment situation for July worsened across the central and southern parts of Illinois as well. A year-to-year comparison for July revealed that almost all areas have seen an uptick in seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates. Centralia saw an increase of 0.6 percentage points, while the Charleston-Mattoon area saw a decrease of 0.2 percentage points.

These July numbers are just the latest proof that Illinois is suffering from a lack of job creation. More than 600,000 Illinoisans across the state remain unemployed.

To restore true prosperity to Illinois, the state will need to do more than just “refocus on the economy” as the president suggested. Illinois must overturn the failed policies it’s been following over the past decade and embrace pro-growth and pro-job policies.

Illinois can do that by lowering its corporate income tax rate to encourage business investment, reducing onerous and costly regulations that stifle entrepreneurship and passing labor reforms to make Illinois a more attractive business destination.

Enacting these polices would go a long way toward putting Illinoisans back to work.