By linking unemployment payments with the requirement to submit a résumé, the Illinois Department of Employment Security is trying to connect unemployed people with employers faster, helping job seekers find employment, and saving taxpayers money.
BLS data show that Illinois had a net loss of 354,000 adults over the last decade from its prime working-age adult population (ages 25 to 54), with 290,000 of that loss attributable to migration rather than mortality. This is a troubling sign that indicates a weak economy – and the loss of adult taxpayers and their children.
Most states have far outstripped Illinois on the number of jobs recovered. And even worse, Illinois has also lagged in the quality of jobs recovered. Illinois was the 37th state to recover and match its pre-recession jobs count. But there are still 110,000 fewer Illinoisans working today than before the recession began.
HB 5973 would remove significant occupational-licensing barriers, thereby making it easier for former offenders to support themselves and their families – and making it less likely ex-offenders will commit crimes in the future.
A new report from the Illinois Department of Employment Security shows Illinois gained 5,400 jobs in April, but the state’s unemployment rate ticked up to 6.6 percent, tied for highest in the U.S.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.