Illinois is No. 3 for workforce development

Illinois’ strong colleges and workforce training help reduce unemployment and close skill gaps, ranking No. 1 in the Midwest and No. 3 nationally.

Illinois has been recognized as No. 3 nationally and the best in the Midwest for workforce development, according to new rankings by Site Selection magazine.

The strength of Illinois’ workforce development infrastructure positions it well to move away from a broken “degree-first” educational system towards a “career-first” model that ensures students get the skills and experiences they need to find a job.

To make this change, lawmakers should shift funding to workforce development programs and away from bloated university administration.

In 2025, Illinois allocated $2.6 billion in general funds to colleges. At the same time, the state was projected to spend only $148.7 million in general funds on apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships and workforce training – less than 6% of the college funding.

To fund more workforce development programs, the state should shift money away from bloated university administration. From 2006 to 2023, the number of full-time administrators at Illinois public universities increased over 50% while the number of students decreased by almost 20%.

Illinois had nearly 2,000 public university administrators who earned a base salary of $100,000 or more. The combined total salary for these administrators amounted to about $320 million.

This “career-first” shift would help address some of the state’s longstanding employment issues, including unemployment being consistently higher than the national average and a persistent “skills gap” where job seekers do not possess the skills employers need. As of August 2025, Illinois had 318,000 job openings and 292,000 job seekers.

Site Selection develops its rankings on workforce productivity, skills and value based on data from workforce sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Key drivers of Illinois’ high ranking were its colleges and universities, and the number and quality of its workers with either a degree or certificate.

Over 162,849 workers in Illinois are certified as having the skills employers need. The National Career Readiness Certificate assesses skills in math, graphic literacy and the ability to understand workforce documents. Illinois ranks 12th and is one of 17 states with more than 100,000 workers with the certificate, far outpacing California’s 33,374 certified workers and New York’s 7,624.

Credentialed Illinoisans outperform the national average on wages, too. There are 46.8% of Illinois workers with a degree or certificate who earn at least 15% more than the national median wage for a high school graduate, compared to 44.1% nationally, according to the Lumina Foundation. That places Illinois 12th among states.

Technical education students in Illinois tied for 10th place in medals earned at the 2025 SkillsUSA National Championships, which shows they stack up well against counterparts from other states. The event includes over 6,000 state champions who demonstrate their leadership and technical skills.

Illinois ranks fourth with 73% of college graduates who can expect a positive return on their investment in a college degree, according to the State Opportunity Index by Strada. This places Illinois fourth nationally among states, behind only Alaska, California and New Jersey. The report assesses whether college graduates can expect to earn more than a typical high school graduate over a 10-year period, including the cost of a degree.

Illinois’ six-year college completion rate is also above the national average, with 63.1% of students earning a degree during that time, compared to 61.1% nationally, according to data from the National Student Clearing House Research Center. Illinois ranks 19th among states.

The report also considered labor productivity, where Illinois was just below the average of Midwestern states.

With strengths across many workforce development categories, Illinois should take steps to adopt a career-first educational model, which includes:

• Expanding apprenticeships, especially youth-focused and non-registered programs, to prepare the next generation of workers to succeed.
• Reforming occupational licensing laws to allow apprenticeship as an alternative to formal education.
• Raising public awareness of apprenticeship benefits and opportunities.
• Regularly assessing workforce trends to align education with labor market needs.
• Shifting funding from university administrative costs to support additional apprenticeship programming.

By doing these things, Illinois can become a leader not just in workforce development, but in career-first education.