Unemployment claims remain five times higher than normal, but the nation’s second-harshest restaurant restrictions have hit that job sector hardest.

More than 1 in 5 black and Hispanic female workers in Illinois lost their jobs during the first month of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Citing the lack of action on the state unemployment claims system overwhelmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, a state lawmaker begins the process to remove Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker from office.

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

Just as Illinois opened its unemployment system to self-employed workers, the new system exposed Social Security numbers and other private information of 32,483 applicants, according to a Freedom of Information Act response.

As new claims overwhelm an unprepared and inefficient system, the state has been pre-approved for a $5 billion loan from the federal government to ensure benefits continue to be paid.

State sheds 34,100 jobs during early stages of COVID-19 economic fallout.

Illinoisans shoulder among the highest tax burdens of any state, and that should come with robust services. But soaring debt and pension costs have left too little room for the things residents need most from government.

Unemployment is hitting record levels in Illinois with weeks to go until the COVID-19 stay-at-home order expires. Federal action made self-employed workers eligible, but Illinois could be months away from handling their claims.