The average cost of workers’ comp for steel workers among neighboring states is under $8 per $100 of payroll compared to nearly $12 in Illinois.

Illinois saw a 0.23 percent increase in jobs in the first quarter of 2017, the third-worst growth rate in the region.

Illinois lost jobs across several industries including construction, manufacturing, and professional and business services. The only employment category to see significant growth was leisure and hospitality.

The industry giant’s move comes amid continued disinvestment in Illinois manufacturing.

In February 2012, Caterpillar’s then-CEO Doug Oberhelman outlined needed reforms to save Illinois manufacturing jobs. State lawmakers have failed to act, and the Land of Lincoln is the only state in the region to lose manufacturing jobs since.

Numbers from the March WARN report show that employers in Illinois across various industries laid off 2,573 workers; 267 of the layoffs were in manufacturing.

There are 170,000 fewer people working in Illinois since before the Great Recession.

The company’s announcement affects 800 hourly employees, though 1,200 workers will remain in Aurora. In January, Caterpillar announced plans to relocate its global headquarters to Chicago and out of its longtime hub in Peoria.

The small sheet metal fabricator will move from its current facility in Antioch, Ill., to an 8-acre location in Bristol, Wis.