Chicago leaves 3,300 students stranded without a school bus ride

By Dylan Sharkey

10/13/2021

Chicago Public Schools’ shortage of school bus drivers has gotten worse. Sending kids to school with a rideshare driver makes some parents nervous.

TAGS: bus drivers, CPS: Chicago Public Schools, shortage

Illinois’ racial employment gap is double U.S. average

By Orphe Divounguy

10/05/2021

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced his reelection bid on July 19 with the key pillar of his campaign being his record on “protecting the lives and livelihoods of the people of Illinois.” Look at the “livelihoods” in Illinois, and that quickly looks like a poor campaign decision.

TAGS: COVID-19, Illinois, unemployment

Illinois aims to put 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030

By Patrick Andriesen

10/01/2021

The state’s newly adopted clean energy policy adds new incentives for electric vehicles and charging stations for buyers and manufacturers.

TAGS: clean energy, electric vehicles, Illinois, The Climate and Equitable Jobs

Illinois payrolls stagnant, unemployment rate 35% higher than U.S. average

By Bryce Hill

09/17/2021

Illinois’ non-farm payrolls only added 2,500 jobs from mid-July to mid-August. Unemployment was steadily high as the rest of the nation recovered.

TAGS: COVID-19, Illinois, unemployment

Everything you need to know about Illinois unemployment

By Brad Weisenstein

09/13/2021

The Illinois Department of Employment Security was ill-prepared to handle record numbers of unemployed workers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, was slow to distribute federal help, exposed Illinoisans' private information, then lefts thousands on hold awaiting answers. Here's the latest.

TAGS: IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, JB Pritzker, jobs, labor, taxes, unemployment

Suburban residents risk losing homes over rising pension costs

By Amy Korte

09/01/2021

Because the cost of generous government retirement packages has grown faster than existing government revenues can sustain, property taxes continue to climb.

TAGS: collar counties, Illinois, pensions, property taxes

Illinois falls farther behind national economic recovery in July

By Bryce Hill

08/23/2021

Despite the strongest jobs report in months, Illinois’ unemployment rate remains high as the U.S. rate continues to drop.

TAGS: COVID-19, Illinois, jobs, unemployment

Rural areas lose to cities amid Illinois’ historic population loss

By Bryce Hill

08/13/2021

Chicago and other urban areas in Illinois gained people compared to the rural areas, with 87 of 102 counties losing people in the 2020 U.S. Census.

TAGS: Chicago, Illinois, population, U.S. Census Bureau

Black workers suffer most from Illinois’ slow recovery from COVID-19

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

07/19/2021

Some parts of Illinois’ job markets are recovering, but not for Black Illinoisans. Many jobs are still missing from before COVID-19, including over one-third of the leisure and hospitality jobs.

TAGS: black community, COVID-19, Illinois, jobs, unemployment

Illinois home building lags virtually every other state during past decade

By Bryce Hill, Dom Moran

07/18/2021

New census data shows Illinois ranked 48th in the U.S. for new single-family home permits during the past decade.

TAGS: construction, homeownership, Illinois, real estate