Despite statewide job gains in June, eight of Illinois’ metro areas lost jobs for the month. Most areas still haven’t recovered to pre-pandemic job levels.
While most Illinois metropolitan areas saw job gains last month, unemployment rates remain higher than the U.S. rate in 11 of the state’s 13 metro areas.
Illinois’ metro areas already face unemployment problems, with some of the nation’s worst rates. They could be hit harder by a recession than other places in the nation.
On Nov. 8, Illinoisans will vote for important judge positions, including three Illinois Supreme Court justices and 16 appellate court judges. Their decisions impact daily life, yet about 25% of voters leave their ballots blank when they get to the judges.
Despite a full year of job gains, all Illinois metropolitan areas are missing jobs since the pandemic began and the recovery stalled. While May brought job gains statewide, only eight metro areas saw gains while seven saw losses.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.