The effects of the Great Recession still linger in Illinois, the pain of which has been distributed unevenly. Youth and minority workers have been hurt most by the state’s ongoing policy errors. The Great Recession caused employment losses across all demographic groups. Illinois’ policy mistakes and weak recovery – the worst in the U.S. –...

Employment in Illinois’ metropolitan areas improved in May, but employment growth is still far behind what it should be, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All 10 metropolitan areas saw month-over-month and year-over-year improvement of their unemployment rates. Unfortunately, every Illinois metro area has an unemployment rate above the national average of...

After nearly a month’s delay due to the federal government’s shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced yesterday that the national unemployment rate edged down in September to 7.2 percent from 7.3 percent one month earlier. Overall, 11.3 million Americans remain unemployed. The U-6 unemployment rate, which includes all workers who are unemployed or underemployed,...