Bryce Hill, Illinois Policy Institute News
All-time record 201,000 Illinoisans quit their jobs in August
Illinois’ sluggish labor market is driven by a record number of workers quitting their jobs at the same time there are fewer job opportunities than in nearly any other state. Even though an all-time record number of workers quit, Illinois was only No. 7 in the “Great Resignation.”
Illinois payrolls stagnant, unemployment rate 35% higher than U.S. average
Illinois’ non-farm payrolls only added 2,500 jobs from mid-July to mid-August. Unemployment was steadily high as the rest of the nation recovered.
One year later, Illinois' jobs recovery from COVID-19 among slowest in U.S.
Job losses peaked in April 2020 amid COVID-19 and state-mandated shutdowns. In the year-long recovery since, Illinois’ has been among the nation’s slowest.
Nearly all Illinois counties lost population in 2020
Census estimates tallied population decline in 98 of Illinois’ 102 counties. Only Los Angeles County lost more people than Cook County last year.
Pritzker fact check: Prime working-age Illinoisans leading exodus, not students
Gov. J.B. Pritzker inaccurately identified students leaving for college as the reason for Illinois’ population decline. Illinoisans between the ages of 26 and 54 made up 64.5% of the net decline in population from 2017-2018, the most recent year of available data.
Bill would match Illinois spending to what taxpayers can afford
A bipartisan ‘spending cap’ bill would allow predictable, sustainable growth in state spending without tax hikes. Illinois is one of the few states without a similar fiscal restraint.
Illinois’ poorest hit hardest by COVID-19 job loss, many still unemployed
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.
Illinois is only state in Midwest to lose people in last decade
Illinois’ population decline has been accelerating during the past 7 years, while neighboring states gain from that loss.
Illinois loses 27,400 hospitality sector jobs in November amid indoor dining ban
Illinois’ jobs numbers have slipped for the second time in the past three months as the rest of the nation steadily recovers.
Shop small gets smaller in Illinois, with 11,200 fewer shop owners
Ownership of bars and restaurants also has declined over 70%, thanks to COVID-19 and associated restrictions.
Illinois sees largest increase in new unemployment claims in the nation
76,338 Illinoisans filed new unemployment claims during the week ending Oct. 31, up more than 23,000 from prior week.
Typical Illinois family will likely see $244 increase in state, local tax burden with ‘fair tax’
Increased property and sales taxes will likely offset all savings from progressive income tax scheme.
Progressive income tax would create 50.3% income tax rate for small businesses
Combined state and federal income taxes would have small businesses pay more than 50% of their top-end income in taxes.
Illinois’ economy likely shrank by $86 billion during Q2, national data suggests
Data published last week by the Bureau of Economic Analysis revealed that U.S. gross domestic product shrank at an annualized rate of -32.9% during the second quarter.
Illinois’ new unemployment claims remain high
New jobless claims remain several times higher than last year as state begins to test re-opening.
Illinois shed 762,200 jobs in April, 12.5 times greater than worst month on record
Record job losses hit the state during the first full month of COVID-19 economic fallout.
86 counties in Illinois see population loss in 2018
Fleeing residents continue to fuel population loss, with Cook County leading the nation for population decline.
Illinois sees fourth straight month of jobs growth in May
Illinois’ jobs situation improved in May, but the state needs long-term solutions such as a spending cap to get on a path to fiscal health and assure investors more tax hikes are not on the horizon.
Tax Freedom Day - just kidding
Federal income tax filings are due today. But while federal income taxes may make up the largest share of taxes the typical resident pays to the government, Illinoisans won’t find themselves free from the enormous burden of state and local taxes.