Everything you need to know about Illinois unemployment

By Brad Weisenstein

05/15/2021

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

Thousands of Illinoisans await calls from state unemployment agency

By Brad Weisenstein, Patrick Andriesen

05/07/2021

The Illinois Department of Employment Security had a backlog of 156K calls in February. Now, over a year into the pandemic, its offices remain closed to the public and 43K Illinoisans are still awaiting a call from IDES.

TAGS: COVID-19, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, Illinois, JB Pritzker

School closures keep over 28,000 Illinois moms out of work

By Orphe Divounguy

05/07/2021

States that have re-opened schools have also increased labor force participation of mothers, evidence suggests.

TAGS: COVID-19, jobs, Mother's Day, public schools

Census estimates again confirm Illinois population loss driven by people leaving

By Bryce Hill

05/05/2021

New data showed domestic migration continued to be the only reason for Illinois’ population decline.

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

Pritzker fact check: Prime working-age Illinoisans leading exodus, not students

By Bryce Hill

04/30/2021

Gov. J.B. Pritzker inaccurately identified students leaving for college as the reason for Illinois’ population decline. Illinoisans between the ages of 26 and 54 made up 64.5% of the net decline in population from 2017-2018, the most recent year of available data.

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

Illinois’ economy stuck trying to get through Pritzker’s COVID-19 ‘bridge phase’

By Hilary Gowins

04/29/2021

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois is close to starting the extra ‘bridge phase’ of mandates he added in March, but over a year into his COVID-19 restrictions it is another barricade to the state’s economy. States with fewer limits are seeing bigger declines in infections.

TAGS: COVID-19, economy, JB Pritzker, reopen, restrictions

Illinois population loss drops it to 6th-most populous state

By Bryce Hill

04/28/2021

Illinois was the nation’s fifth-largest state until 2020 census data was released. Now Pennsylvania’s population exceeds Illinois’ to take the No. 5 spot.

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

Illinois loses 1 seat in Congress after 2020 Census shows first population drop in 200 years

By Bryce Hill, Joe Tabor

04/27/2021

Illinois will lose one representative in the U.S. House. The state’s population declined for the first time in over 200 years, the 10-year U.S. Census count showed.

TAGS: outmigration, population, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Congress

Illinois to lose 1 seat in U.S. Congress, new Census shows

By Brad Weisenstein

04/26/2021

Illinois’ decade of population loss, with last year being the worst loss of people since World War II, will cost is one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Some thought the new Census would cost Illinois two seats in Congress.

TAGS: outmigration, population, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Congress

Illinois’ unemployment pain hits all regions as recovery lags Midwest

By Bryce Hill

04/22/2021

Illinois’ unemployment rate remains the highest in the Midwest despite March jobs growth. Unemployment is high across the state compared to the region.

TAGS: COVID-19, jobs, recession, restrictions, unemployment