Great Recession

7 of 10 Illinois metro areas are not recovering at all

By Michael Lucci
11/03/2014
Unemployment rates fell for most of Illinois’ metropolitan statistical areas in September, according to a press release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, seven out of 10 Illinois metro areas are not showing any signs of an economic recovery when it comes to putting people back to work. Champaign, Chicago and Springfield are showing...

TAGS: Chicago, jobs

Illinois’ ‘temporary’ 2011 tax hike breaks household budgets

By illinoispolicy
10/31/2014
Illinois’ “temporary” 2011 tax hike made the state’s slow recovery even worse. The tax hikes hit at the worst possible time – right after household incomes had collapsed during the recession. Since the tax hikes, the monthly growth in the number of people working in Illinois has slowed down by 60 percent, while the monthly...

Illinois’ true unemployment rate: 18.1 percent

By Michael Lucci
10/27/2014
The unemployment rate is a state’s most closely monitored indicator of economic health. The Illinois unemployment rate rose sharply through the Great Recession, and continues to fluctuate and trend downward as a result of both economic growth and a shrinking workforce. Illinois’ working-age adult population, from which the workforce is drawn, has grown by nearly...

Illinois payrolls increase, manufacturing declines

By Michael Lucci
10/21/2014
The Illinois unemployment rate fell to 6.6 percent from 6.7 percent in September, according to today’s economic release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of payroll jobs in Illinois increased by 19,300 in September, the sixth-best monthly increase in the last 10 years. Illinois’ workforce grew by 5,800 in September, the first month...

TAGS: jobs

10 Illinois jobs facts you should know

10/20/2014
Illinois is ready to boom. That is the single most important fact about Illinois’ jobs climate and economy as a whole. However, Illinoisans have been held back by policy errors that have plagued the state for decades, especially since the Great Recession. Policy errors are causing tremendous pain for Illinoisans, but that pain can be...

Post-recession pain points in Illinois: a breakdown

By Michael Lucci
10/20/2014
From the beginning of the Great Recession in January 2008 through August 2014, Illinois is still down 157,100 payroll jobs, more than any other state in the U.S. Some sectors of Illinois’ economy have recovered completely, while others remain dramatically below pre-recession levels. Manufacturing and construction have had it the worst through the recession era,...

TAGS: jobs, private sector, public sector

Illinois’ recovery is still 7 years away

By Michael Lucci
10/07/2014
The Great Recession knocked 500,000 Illinoisans out of work from January 2008 to November 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household survey. And since then, only 200,000 Illinoisans have gone back to work. This stands as one of the country’s slowest recoveries. As a result, Illinois has 300,000 fewer people working today than...

TAGS: jobs, unemployment

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Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016