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The state unemployment rate, measured at 10.1 percent in October, is
almost twice as high as it was in December 2007, before the
recession, the Social Impact Research Center found. And about 14
percent of Illinois residents now live at or below the poverty line,
compared with 12 percent before the recession. More Illinois
residents under the age of 65 are uninsured now, and the median
household income has fallen from $56,915 in 2007 to $52,972 now, the
report said. Unemployed people continue to struggle to find new
jobs, with the average unemployed worker spending nearly 37 weeks
without a job in 2010.
The Social Impact Research Center, based in Chicago, conducts
studies to push for policy changes to help the poor.
The center's report suggested that a "long uphill climb" was
ahead. It estimates that Illinois employers will need to add almost
530,000 new jobs to make up for the number of jobs lost during the
recession and new workers on the job market.
The average debt of Illinois residents also went up 37 percent
since 2003, to $13,416.
The Social Impact Research Center issued a report Friday to argue
for state and federal programs aimed at helping the poor. It said
Illinois' safety net programs had not grown enough to handle
increasing poverty in the recession.
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"Personal, social and economic costs of low family incomes are far
too great, compromising Illinois' economic strength, human capital
and future well-being," said Sid Mohn, the president of Heartland
Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights. "State policies and
investments need to support an economy that works for everyone,
promote work that pays a living wage, ensure that all have access to
a quality education, and that families are able to access adequate
income supports to help make ends meet."
[Associated Press]
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