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Illinois’ declining labor force participation rate explains stubborn poverty rate

By Chris Coffey
06/26/2024
Data shows Illinoisans who would have been working a generation ago are not today.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment

9 Illinois metro areas add jobs in March, 6 await pandemic recovery

By Ravi Mishra, Jon Josko
04/19/2024
Job gains in Illinois’ metropolitan areas were off to a slow start in 2024. Six areas remain behind where they were before the pandemic.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment

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

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Center for Poverty Solutions / Research Report

Beyond degrees: Empowering Illinoisans through career-first education


Published June 3, 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The best path to empowerment and success, especially for poor people, is work. Work allows us to prosper while providing dignity, upward mobility, the means to support ourselves and create value for others. It’s how we become thriving members of our community. Central to this process is our education...

View Report

Report Archive

Budget + Tax / Your Story

Allan Luzbetak

Labor / Policy Point

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014
Illinois Policy In the News

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

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016

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