With the highest unemployment rate in the Midwest and 117,000 jobs still missing, Illinois’ labor market is among the least recovered in the region.

Illinois’ job opening rate declined 1.5 percentage points in May. That’s not a good way to enter a potential recession.

Politicians and pundits can’t seem to agree about whether the U.S. is in a recession, but the semantics matter little for struggling Americans. Illinois can expect economic pain regardless of what it’s called.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker added $650 million in taxes and fee hikes for small businesses in his last budget. Voters will decide Nov. 8 if Illinois’ business climate will get tougher, yet, through Amendment 1.

Illinois’ employment recovery continued in June, but the state is still missing one in seven jobs lost during the pandemic.

Wages have failed to keep up with inflation, dropping Illinoisans’ purchasing power by $2,900 on average.