It’s hard not to notice the disappearance of Illinois’ manufacturing sector. Anyone driving through the outskirts of Peoria can witness the closed buildings and half-abandoned neighborhoods. Cities all across Illinois have seen a similar story unfold. Illinois’ manufacturing base has been in decline, losing over 130,000 manufacturing jobs in the past decade. Chosen excerpts by … Continue reading
Illinois has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, a rank the state has held for five months now, behind only the state of Nevada. Continue reading
The economic recovery in Illinois remains terribly weak. Our state has failed to make a strong comeback from the Great Recession that ended four years ago, in June 2009. We are falling further behind not just Texas, but practically every other state — including states such as Indiana that can make stronger arguments for luring … Continue reading
Say “skills gap” to any manufacturer, and invariably they’ll respond with the number 600,000. That’s the gaping hole of unfilled jobs at U.S. manufacturers—for Illinois, estimates point to 30,000 unfilled jobs. The talent shortfall carries serious consequences. In a Manufacturing Institute 2011 skills gap report surveying more than 1,100 U.S. manufacturers, 74 percent of respondents … Continue reading
Gov. Pat Quinn says Walgreen Co. plans to expand its operations in Illinois and create 500 jobs over the next three years. In announcing the expansion Friday, Quinn and Walgreen said the agreement is part of the “Invest Illinois Initiative.” Under the terms of the deal, Walgreen will also be eligible for tax credits tied … Continue reading
Hurt by deep budget cuts, Illinois’ child welfare agency began a round of layoffs Friday that will cut hundreds of jobs and “greatly reduce” its efforts to prevent neglect and abuse. The Department of Children and Family Services must find ways to absorb nearly $86 billion in budget cuts, a reduction of 6.8 percent. Spokesman … Continue reading
Leaving town to find a job: hundreds of local families face a new reality Thursday after one of the area’s largest employers makes it official. The plant shut down for up to 15 months, the majority of the workforce laid off. Many of those employees were already out of a job after the Metropolis Honeywell … Continue reading
Those words were projected on the PowerPoint slide before a gathering of metro-east manufacturers, economists and analysts at a forum last week at America’s Central Port in Granite City to discuss the state of metro-east manufacturing. Contrary to popular belief, these experts say that although the manufacturing sector here and across the country has shed … Continue reading
With more than $200 million cut since 2008 and counting, the closure of two schools, and more than 800 layoffs last year, the Board for the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) unanimously passed a motion approving the layoff of over 308 employees in order to brace for the millions the district will lose following … Continue reading
Just a few months ago, Illinois gave retail giant Sears $275 million to keep its corporate headquarters in the state, after Sears threatened to move elsewhere (including, potentially, Ohio). To show its appreciation for receiving millions in taxpayer funds, as Greg Leroy pointed out at the Clawback blog, Sears announced last week that it will … Continue reading
As I foreshadowed on January 5, despite a huge subsidy package enacted by the state of Illinois in December, Sears Holdings Corp. has already announced layoffs at its headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates. Last week, the retailer announced that 100 HQ staff will be laid off. This after the chain announced on … Continue reading