Illinois’ manufacturing payrolls have declined in 21 of the last 30 months.

Over the recession era, Indiana’s workforce grew by 53,000 people while Illinois’ workforce shrank by 200,000 people. If Illinois’ workforce size were benchmarked to Indiana’s over the recession era, Illinois’ unemployment rate would be 10.3 percent today.

Workers’ compensation costs are killing Illinois steel.

Illinois still ranks last in the country for putting people back to work over the Great Recession era.

Illinois’ recent economic history is grim, but there is a beacon of light appearing at the end of the tunnel.

Establishment +295K jobs, household +96K employment, labor force -178K

The governor’s agenda should be cause for optimism across the state: competitiveness, not cronyism, is the right path forward to spark an Illinois comeback.

Illinois is home to a number of policies that reduce the opportunities of minorities, especially men. Forced unionism is one of them.

Since the January 2011 tax hikes, Illinois’ recovery slowed down, the rest of the Midwest sped up and the rest of the U.S. significantly accelerated. The Great Lakes states performed in lockstep with how well they fostered the free-enterprise system.

The two months since the election have been the Land of Lincoln’s best stretch of employment growth in the post-recession era. But the state’s sudden job-creation steam will run out without a healthy fuel of economic-reform policies.