By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner | Wirepoints
The number of unemployed Illinoisans rose again in August. This marks Illinois’ 8th-month in a row for rising unemployment, with nearly 39,000 more workers out of a job compared to December, 2023.
Illinois’ unemployment rate also remained one of the nation’s worst. At 5.3%, Illinois’ rate ranked third, behind only Nevada and California. The national average for August was 4.2%.
Most of our neighbors have unemployment rates that are one to two percentage points lower than Illinois’. Wisconsin and Iowa and are particular standouts at 2.9%, the nation’s 11th- and 12th-lowest employment rates, respectively.
These latest numbers contradict Gov. Pritzker’s recent celebrations on X about workforce development and Illinois’ economy.
The actual number of Illinoisans employed since the governor took office are down by nearly 90,000. That’s the 3rd-worst performance nationally and stands in stark contrast to the employment gains in states like Texas (+1.5 million) and Florida (+872,000).
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