Jobs + Growth

Facing facts: the numbers show Illinois is losing people

Facing facts: the numbers show Illinois is losing people

Illinois loses one resident every 10 minutes to net out-migration. It should be no surprise that people are fleeing Illinois. Illinois ranks 48th in economic outlook, 45th in GDP growth between 2000 and 2010, and 47th in its level of entrepreneurial activity. There is little opportunity left for Illinois’ families and entrepreneurs to succeed. And...

By Benjamin VanMetre

Illinois’ unemployment rate jumped to 9 percent

Illinois’ unemployment rate jumped to 9 percent

In his budget address on Wednesday, Gov. Quinn touted the number of jobs that have been created during the past two years. The governor would have you believe that Illinois’ job crisis is over. But that’s far from the truth. As today’s labor release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows, Illinois’ unemployment rate jumped...

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

Four years of Quinn – higher taxes, bigger debts and no sign of change

Four years of Quinn – higher taxes, bigger debts and no sign of change

As Gov. Pat Quinn delivers his fifth annual budget proposal today, it’s important to review the governor’s track record and what his policies have meant for Illinois. When Quinn took office in 2009, Illinois was reeling from former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his culture of deficits and corruption. The state’s fiscal condition was a shaky...

By Benjamin VanMetre

Illinois’’ high-tax environment causes historical out-migration

Illinois’’ high-tax environment causes historical out-migration

The Illinois Policy Institute has long warned that Illinois’ high-tax environment hurts the state’s economy. Prior to the 2011 income tax hike, we sounded the alarm that higher taxes would cause people and businesses to leave the state.

By Brian Costin

Cronyism costs taxpayers big

Cronyism costs taxpayers big

Legislation to temporarily avoid the fiscal cliff was supposed to be a move toward comprehensive tax reform. It was the opposite. The deal included dozens of corporate tax breaks that will cost taxpayers billions.

By Benjamin VanMetre

Illinois unemployment: politicians living in an alternate reality

Illinois unemployment: politicians living in an alternate reality

Illinois’ unemployment fell to 8.7 percent in November from 8.8 percent in October, adding 16,400 new payroll jobs. Despite this small decrease in the unemployment rate, Illinois is still a full percentage point above the national unemployment average of 7.7 percent, and 1.6 percentage points higher than the average of its neighboring states. That fact –...

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner