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.

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

The worst years of the Great Recession are in the rear view. But if the latest gloomy fiscal forecast is any indication, Illinois' persistent policy mistakes will drag down its economic performance well into the future.

The October briefing from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability outlines Illinois’ weak growth, and projects more of the same.

Since the end of the recession, only 5 out of Illinois’ 13 metro areas – Carbondale-Marion, Chicago, Kankakee, Lake County-Kenosha County and Springfield – have recovered all the private-sector jobs lost from the Great Recession.

The need for foundational change couldn’t be more evident in the Land of Lincoln.