Illinois: nation’s 2nd-highest unemployment rate for sixth straight month
Illinois: nation’s 2nd-highest unemployment rate for sixth straight month
ix months ago, Illinois overtook California to become the state with the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, behind only Nevada. It hasn’t budged since. Today’s release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics details yet another month of stalled unemployment numbers for Illinois. The state’s August unemployment rate remained at 9.2 percent – 1.9 percentage...
By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner
Illinois August unemployment rate remains stalled at 9.2%
Illinois August unemployment rate remains stalled at 9.2%
Tomorrow, Illinois is likely to celebrate its six-month anniversary of having the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation. That’s when the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, releases its Regional and State Employment and Unemployment report for August. In the meantime, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, or IDES, pre-released some of the BLS data...
By John Klingner
Illinois and Chicago riddled with bad economic policy
Illinois and Chicago riddled with bad economic policy
Illinois and Chicago are riddled with many regulations, laws and licensing requirements that are unnecessary and anti-growth in nature. Politicians often claim to pass these laws in pursuit of a favorable business climate; but the result is often the opposite. Illinois’ economy is struggling. The state has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation at 9.2...
By Justin Hegy
Pizza with a purpose
Pizza with a purpose
Dimitri has found that investing in good people makes the difference in an industry where the customer experience matters.
By Hilary Gowins
More than 2 million Illinoisans dependent on food stamps
More than 2 million Illinoisans dependent on food stamps
The total number of Illinoisans on food stamps increased to nearly 2.15 million in June. One-sixth of Illinoisans, or 16.7 percent, are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. More than 100,000 people were added to the SNAP rolls in June. This is an artificially high number resulting from disaster-response programs deployed in...
By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner
Part-time America: National unemployment rate edges down to 7.3 in August
Part-time America: National unemployment rate edges down to 7.3 in August
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced today that the national unemployment rate edged down in August to 7.3 percent, down from 7.4 percent one month earlier. Non-farm payroll employment rose by 169,000. Unemployment decreased by 193,000, leaving the total number of unemployed Americans at 11.3 million in August. But there are many Americans suffering from...
By John Klingner
Bloomington won’t appeal court order striking unconstitutional vehicle-for-hire law
Bloomington won’t appeal court order striking unconstitutional vehicle-for-hire law
Last week, Judge Rebecca Foley of the McLean County Circuit Court issued an order striking down a Bloomington ordinance that prevented new competitors – including the Liberty Justice Center’s client, Julie Crowe – from offering vehicle-for-hire services in the city. Today, the Bloomington Pantagraph reports that the city will not appeal the judge’s decision and will not stand in Julie Crowe’s...
If ‘food deserts’ are a problem, blame Chicago politicians
If ‘food deserts’ are a problem, blame Chicago politicians
The Chicago Tribune ran a front-page story lamenting Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s failure to eliminate food deserts in Chicago. A food desert is an area in which residents allegedly lack easy access to supermarkets that offer fresh produce. The exact definition varies depending on who you ask and when – the city used to consider areas without a...
One woman fought Bloomington’s taxi cartel and won
One woman fought Bloomington’s taxi cartel and won
Should a city government be allowed to stop someone from starting a business just to protect established companies from competition? Should a city official be allowed to deny someone a license to start a business just because the official doesn’t consider the new business “desirable”? Until this week, the city of Bloomington had a law...
July unemployment: joblessness up across the state
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...
By John Klingner
Craft brewers face regulatory challenges in Illinois
Craft brewers face regulatory challenges in Illinois
Much to the delight of many Chicago beer enthusiasts, the city’s craft beer market has grown in recent years. New Chicago breweries such as Revolution Brewing, Half Acre Beer Company and PipeWorks Brewing are making inroads on traditional brewers. The craft beer revolution is taking root throughout the rest of the state as well. Rolling Meadows Brewery in Springfield and Destihl Brewery in Bloomington...
By Bryant Jackson-Green, Justin Hegy
Detroit: A story that must be told
Detroit: A story that must be told
Two weeks ago I took in the demise of Detroit with my own eyes. I was fortunate to be with my colleague, Detroit native Paul Kersey. As we embarked on the trip, he told me “Detroit is a story that must be told.” He was right. I’d seen the pictures and knew the history, but...
By Ted Dabrowski
The work vs. welfare trade-off in Illinois
The work vs. welfare trade-off in Illinois
A new study by the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., takes a state-by-state look at the value of the welfare benefits package. While no one in America receives welfare benefits from all 72 federal welfare benefits programs that provide direct cash or in-kind assistance, long-term welfare beneficiaries are more likely to receive benefits from multiple programs. Highlights...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Illinois has second-highest unemployment rate in nation
Illinois has second-highest unemployment rate in nation
Illinois has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, a rank the state has held for five months now, behind only the state of Nevada. Illinois’ unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent in July, up from 9.1 percent in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. Today’s BLS release highlights how poorly...