by Emily Dietrich Is the national economy really at fault for Illinois’ poor jobs market? The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) released the September numbers on Illinois’ jobs market yesterday. The report was titled: “National Slowdown Impacts Illinois’ Economy.” This report comes on the heels of their August report, titled: “Stagnant National Growth Squeezes Illinois Labor Market.”...
by Emily Dietrich Illinois’ unemployment rate rose to 10 percent, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported today. For yet another month, more Illinoisans were added to the unemployment rolls. Specifically, 10,500 people lost their jobs last month or started looking for work after having given up. Yet, Illinois did experience some job creation. In September, 1,600...
by Emily Dietrich A recent email from Jeff Hickman – General Manager of Cal Lab Co., Inc. – read: “Attached is just one more reason why we’re looking at moving to Indiana. I took these photos on my way in to work this morning.” Titled “Illinoid,” the pictures showed a whopping $0.37 difference between a...
by Emily Dietrich After a weeklong excursion to Asia, Gov. Quinn made a splash last Wednesday with his first public statement in 20 days. Quinn said that those expressing concern over Illinois’s economy are “complainers” and “naysayers.” As evidence of a positive jobs market, Quinn pointed to the job growth the state experienced last year. True, the...
by Emily Dietrich In page after page of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand depicts her real life hero – the entrepreneur. After a Library of Congress survey revealed that readers of Atlas Shrugged rate the novel only second to the Bible as the most influential book in their lives, it’s no surprise that this way of thinking has taken root. Entrepreneurs...
by Emily Dietrich Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the majority of U.S. metropolitan areas decreased their unemployment rate from last year. Unfortunately for the largest metropolitan division in Illinois – Chicago-Joliet-Naperville – this was not the case. With unemployment spiking 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville experienced the largest unemployment rate increase...
by Emily Dietrich Yesterday’s headline in the Chicago Tribune, “Illinois Among Worst States to do Business,” encapsulates what’s been on the minds of countless job creators and job seekers across the state. A new study by the Development Counsellors International reports that of the 322 U.S. corporate executives surveyed, nearly one quarter viewed Illinois as having one of...
For a second month in a row, Illinois holds the unenviable position of leading the nation in negative jobs data. This month, the bad news is in the number of unemployed Illinoisans. Data released Sept. 15 by the Bureau Labor of Statistics showed that more people became unemployed last month in Illinois than in any...
by Emily Dietrich President Obama presented a $450 billion proposal to a joint session of Congress last week. He instructed lawmakers: “Pass this bill, and hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people will have the hope and the dignity of a summer job next year. And their parents – their parents – low-income Americans who...
by Emily Dietrich President Obama convened a joint session of Congress Thursday night to unveil his latest jobs proposal. Almost immediately, lawmakers and political pundits levied harsh criticism. Leftists expressed fear that the President’s proposal isn’t “bold” enough. The purported $450 billion price tag doesn’t come near the $1 trillion in spending some have agitated...
by Emily Dietrich Should the government tell you what to eat? When to eat? Or how much to eat? What about if it cost jobs? What if you lost your job because the government regulated who-could-eat-what? U.S. Representative Peter Roskam predicts Illinois families will be facing this exact situation. In The Chicago Sun-Times, he writes: “Illinois-based...
by Emily Dietrich People no longer use the term “Hoover Flags” to describe turned-out empty pockets or “Hooverville” to characterize a tent city. Yet, many Illinoisans may be surprised to learn that the failed policies that discredited President Herbert Hoover are still being implemented today. Jonathan Bean, who is a Professor of History at Southern...
In a trend that continues to worsen, more Illinoisans found themselves unemployed in the month of July. Illinois lost more jobs during the month of July than any other state in the nation, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report. After losing 7,200 jobs in June, Illinois lost an additional 24,900 non-farm...
For most Illinois families, the price of the January 2011 state income tax hike is an additional week’s wages lost to state coffers. But for some, the cost has been much higher as jobs disappear altogether. Between January and June 2011, 56,223 fewer Illinoisans were employed* – a performance worse than any other neighboring state....