8 Illinois metro areas fail to add jobs in April; just 1 recovers from pandemic

06/17/2022

Illinois’ overall job numbers continue to rise, but the recovery is spotty. Over half of the metropolitan areas failed to add jobs in April.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, employment, job creation, jobs

Illinois marks 10th month of job gains, but still missing 1-in-5 jobs

By Bryce Hill

05/12/2022

Illinois is steadily adding jobs lost during the COVID-19 economic downturn, but despite 10 months of gains the state recovery lags the nation. Some metropolitan areas are far behind where they were.

TAGS: COVID-19, economic recovery, jobs, unemployment

Champaign-Urbana loses 5,300 jobs in February as most Illinois metros gain

By Bryce Hill

04/01/2022

Illinois posted job growth of 19,600 in February, with bigger payrolls in 10 of 14 Illinois-based metropolitan areas.

TAGS: Champaign, economic recovery, Illinois, jobs, unemployment, Urbana

Only 1 Illinois metro area fully recovered its pandemic-related job losses

By Bryce Hill

03/24/2022

Bloomington is the only metro area to recover jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and statewide mandated shutdowns. Illinois is still missing 200,100 jobs as of January 2020.

TAGS: Bloomington, COVID-19, economic recovery, jobs, unemployment

COVID-19 jobs recovery well below U.S. average in most Illinois metro areas

By Bryce Hill

02/08/2022

The nation recovered 85% of the jobs lost to the COVID-19 downturn, but only one metro area in Illinois beat the U.S. average. The Chicago area only recovered 64% of its jobs. Bloomington was one of just 11 U.S. areas to lose jobs last year.

TAGS: COVID-19, economic recovery, Illinois, jobs

Illinois’ less-populated areas lead May jobs decline

By Bryce Hill

07/08/2021

Illinois shed 7,900 jobs in May but most of those losses were outside of urban areas.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs, unemployment

Rockford suffers worst month of job loss in nation

By Bryce Hill

06/17/2021

Eight of 13 Illinois-based metro areas lost jobs in April.

TAGS: jobs, metro areas, Rockford, unemployment

Illinois workers remain idle despite national rebound

By Bryce Hill

07/28/2020

The state and most of its urban areas are failing to get residents back to work at rates matching the national average.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, executive order, jobs, unemployment

Federal investigators digging deeper into Pritzker’s $331K property tax break

07/17/2020

Pritzker infamously removed toilets from his Gold Coast mansion in what the Cook County inspector general called a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers.

TAGS: corruption, JB Pritzker, property taxes

Pritzker’s toilet removal contractor gets nearly $9M in COVID-19 work

05/28/2020

The contractor who removed toilets from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mansion in a $331,000 property tax scandal received a nearly $9 million COVID-19 contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The contractor hadn’t worked with the Corps in 76 years.

TAGS: federal investigation, JB Pritzker, property taxes, tax fraud

Kenosha County

8 Illinois metro areas fail to add jobs in April; just 1 recovers from pandemic

Illinois marks 10th month of job gains, but still missing 1-in-5 jobs

Champaign-Urbana loses 5,300 jobs in February as most Illinois metros gain

Only 1 Illinois metro area fully recovered its pandemic-related job losses

COVID-19 jobs recovery well below U.S. average in most Illinois metro areas

Illinois’ less-populated areas lead May jobs decline

Rockford suffers worst month of job loss in nation

Illinois workers remain idle despite national rebound

Federal investigators digging deeper into Pritzker’s $331K property tax break

Pritzker’s toilet removal contractor gets nearly $9M in COVID-19 work

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

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