Illinois adds jobs in May, but in just over half of metro areas

By Bryce Hill

07/10/2022

Despite a full year of job gains, all Illinois metropolitan areas are missing jobs since the pandemic began and the recovery stalled. While May brought job gains statewide, only eight metro areas saw gains while seven saw losses.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois, jobs, metro areas, unemployment

Illinois adds 12,800 jobs in May, still missing 136,400 from pandemic

By Bryce Hill

07/09/2022

Illinois’ employment recovery continued in May, but the state is still missing nearly one in six jobs lost during the pandemic.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois, jobs, unemployment

Illinois job opening rate 4th-lowest in nation

By Bryce Hill

02/28/2022

Workers looking for a job find fewer opportunities in Illinois than in virtually any other state.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois, jobs

Illinois’ less-populated areas lead May jobs decline

By Bryce Hill

07/08/2021

Illinois shed 7,900 jobs in May but most of those losses were outside of urban areas.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs, unemployment

Illinois shed 762,200 jobs in April, 12.5 times greater than worst month on record

By Bryce Hill

05/22/2020

Record job losses hit the state during the first full month of COVID-19 economic fallout.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, coronavirus, COVID-19, executive order, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, JB Pritzker, jobs

COVID-19 potentially impacting one-fourth of Illinois workers

By Bryce Hill

04/07/2020

Business sectors directly affected by the coronavirus and mitigation employ 1.5 million Illinoisans. The longer the shutdown, the more industries and jobs face cuts.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, coronavirus, COVID-19, economic growth, labor force participation rate

Before COVID-19 downturn, Illinois saw shrinking payrolls and nation’s worst loss of manufacturing jobs

By Bryce Hill

03/31/2020

New data show Illinois lost private sector jobs amid a national economic expansion for the first year on record in 2019, a sign of the state’s deep structural problems in the run-up to the current market downturn.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, coronavirus, COVID-19, economic growth, employment, jobs, labor force participation rate, unemployment

Pritzker claims statewide economic growth, but these Illinois metro areas are shedding jobs

By Bryce Hill

02/10/2020

Despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker touting growth in “every major region,” Illinois shed jobs in three metropolitan areas and lagged the national average in seven more.

TAGS: Bloomington, BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, budget, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago, constitutional amendment, economic competitiveness, economic growth, economics, economy, employment, fair tax, flat tax, government spending, graduated income tax, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs, labor, Madison County, metro areas, Metro East, Moline, pensions, Peoria, population, progressive income tax, recession, Rockford, spending, spending cap, Springfield, St. Clair County, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, unemployment, Urbana, working-age

State of the state: Pritzker saw worst first-year jobs numbers since Blagojevich

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

01/27/2020

Illinois job creation lagged the national median in nearly every sector.

TAGS: 401(k), BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chicago, constitutional amendment, economic competitiveness, economic growth, fair tax, government spending, graduated income tax, housing, housing market, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs, labor, labor force participation rate, outmigration, pensions, personal income, population, private sector, progressive income tax, public sector, retirement age, spending, spending cap, Springfield, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, U.S. Census Bureau, unemployment

Chicago area up 241K jobs, rest of Illinois down 41K jobs from before recession

By Austin Berg

01/21/2020

Illinois’ uneven recovery reflects national trends, but also raises important questions about the state’s economic future ahead of a key tax hike vote.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, capital gains, Chicago, corporate income tax, economic competitiveness, economy, graduated income tax, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, investment, JB Pritzker, labor, minimum wage, outmigration, population, progressive income tax, real estate, recession, Springfield, tax hikes, tax increase

Illinois Forward 2024: A sustainable state budget plan

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John Jacob

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students