THE PROBLEM Only 27 percent of teens in Illinois had jobs last year – the lowest Illinois teen employment rate in the 42 years this data has been collected. The figures were worst for African American teens in Chicago, where only 10 percent had jobs. As the graphic shows, the Great Recession clobbered teens with...
The problem Only 27 percent of teens in Illinois had jobs last year – the lowest Illinois teen employment rate in the 42 years this data has been collected. The figures were worst for African American teens in Chicago, where only 10 percent had jobs. As the graphic shows, the Great Recession clobbered teens with...
Uber – the maker of a popular smartphone application that allows you to summon a black car, taxi, or SUV with the push of a button – is under fire from regulators and the taxi lobby in Chicago, as new rules proposed by the commissioner of the City’s Department of Business of Affairs would make...
Illinois
The problem State officials have doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks and other incentives to keep Fortune 500 names and other big businesses from fleeing Illinois. But were state officials focused on the right targets? Who and what matters most in job creation? The Illinois Policy Institute’s new analysis finds the...
Illinois’ poor public policies continue to hammer the state’s business climate. This week the Tax Foundation released its 2013 State Business Tax Climate Index, confirming the state’s worsening position. Illinois dropped a full 13 places, to 29th, from 16th just since 2011. Illinois now ranks worse than most of its neighbors. The Tax Foundation ranks states based on...
Illinois’ poor public policies continue to hammer the state’s business climate. This week the Tax Foundation released its 2013 State Business Tax Climate Index, confirming the state’s worsening position. Illinois dropped a full 13 places, to 29th, from 16th just since 2011. Illinois now ranks worse than most of its neighbors. The Tax Foundation ranks states based on...
US labor report Many analysts are challenging the 0.3 percentage point drop in the nation’s September unemployment rate released this morning by US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS announced the unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent from 8.1 percent in August. The unemployment rate, which is now below 8 percent for the first time...
Today there are 5 million fewer people participating in the labor force than when President Obama took office in January 2009. That
How has Illinois performed under President Obama?
The nation’s unemployment rate increased to 7.9 percent in October from 7.8 percent in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If that number is a reflection of the country’s anemic recovery, consider the implications of Illinois’ 8.8 percent unemployment rate in September. There are more than 580,000 Illinoisans formally out of work. And these...
Illinois’ state debt: Illinois’ total state debt is $271 billion Illinois’ state debt has ballooned to $51,000 per household Illinois has roughly $9 billion in unpaid bills Illinois will spend more on pensions than on education by 2016 Illinois’ economic performance: Illinois is 47th in job growth Illinois is 48th in economic outlook Illinois is 48th in...
For the third straight month, Illinois' unemployment rate climbed. More than 9.1 percent of Illinoisans are now unemployed, a full percentage point higher than the national average of 8.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Illinois’ July unemployment rate hit 8.9 percent, up from 8.7 percent in June, the second consecutive monthly increase. Thirty-nine states have a lower unemployment rate than Illinois. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois’ labor force is roughly 6.5 million people. More than half a million of them are unemployed. This is a...