New U.S. Bureau of Labor data shows Illinois’ unemployment rate in July was the 3rd-worst in the country. Last month Illinois had the nation’s 5th-worst rate.
Illinois’ worsening ranking came despite a slight improvement in its jobless rate to 4.4%, down from 4.5% in June. The ranking change came as Delaware and Nevada had larger improvements in their unemployment rate in July than Illinois did.
Count on the state’s political leadership to take credit for Illinois’ overall low unemployment rate, but what people should really know is what a laggard Illinois really is nationally and regionally when it comes to creating jobs.
Take a look at the unemployment rates in Illinois’ neighboring states. They are significantly below those in Illinois, most notably in Indiana, Missouri and Iowa, where unemployment rates are nearly 2 percentage points lower.
Don’t think it’s a big deal? That nearly 2 percent difference means 120,000 Illinoisans are out of jobs today. Catching up with states like Indiana and Missouri would be the equivalent of putting an entire city like Springfield back to work.
Blame the difference on Illinois’ many failed policies, from failing to deal with rising crime to ignoring the nation’s biggest pension debts to papering over the state’s financial problems to letting public unions dominate state policy to fostering rampant corruption.
Until those policy failures are finally addressed, expect Illinoisans to continue to leave.
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