Illinois unemployment remains higher than national average

[January 27, 2023]  By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Small business advocates say Illinois' regulatory climate continues to hinder job creators.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its most up-to-date unemployment numbers for Illinois, and they show Illinois has a 4.7% unemployment rate, trailing only Nevada for the worst in the country.

The end of 2022 saw Illinois with 303,217 unemployed people in December and 303,232 in November.

Chris Davis of the Illinois chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses told The Center Square that actions in Springfield directly affect small businesses.

"We are ranked second worst in the nation and we still continue to pass mandates and taxes on to employers that makes it more difficult for job creators to create positions for workers," Davis said.

Neighboring states such as Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri all have lower unemployment rates than Illinois. Davis said those states offer a better business environment than Illinois does.

"We need to stop the mandates on small business," Davis said. "Look at all of our neighboring states that all have significantly better unemployment rates and the climate that they are providing for their employers."

Illinois businesses face a 9.5% corporate tax rate, the 5th highest in the nation, according to 2023 numbers from the Tax Foundation. Illinois has also seen several large manufacturers shut down or move out the past year, including Boeing and Caterpillar, and the closure of a Stellantis auto plant in Belvidere that is expected to put nearly 1,300 Illinoisans out of work.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker was asked about the Stellantis plant and what will happen next for these workers.

"We obviously do not want anybody getting up and leaving," Pritzker said Thursday at an unrelated event in Rockford. "That's why we are working furiously and fast to try and secure whatever we can working with Stellantis. We want people to stay and we want to make sure that we are growing jobs and making jobs more available for people."

Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April of 2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.