Black workers in Illinois face a tougher job market than peers nationally. Hispanic men, Asians face lower unemployment rates relative to peers in other states.

Black workers in Illinois face much higher unemployment rates than other Black workers in the nation and than their white peers in Illinois. Investing in MAP grants rather than spending more on public pensions could make a difference.

Illinois’ labor market has heated up, gaining 40,900 jobs in October. It was the largest increase in 2021 as women, especially minority women, returned to work

Some parts of Illinois’ job markets are recovering, but not for Black Illinoisans. Many jobs are still missing from before COVID-19, including over one-third of the leisure and hospitality jobs.

States that have re-opened schools have also increased labor force participation of mothers, evidence suggests.

Illinois households earning less than $40,000 were four-times as likely to lose their jobs from February-April 2020 and nearly 11 times as likely to still be out of work compared to those earning $75,000 or more.

While May’s jobs report showed what could be the beginning of a bounce back in total employment for the state, growth was concentrated primarily among white workers. Black and Hispanic workers were left behind.

New jobless claims remain several times higher than last year as state begins to test re-opening.