The state of Illinois has lost at least 100,000 jobs over the last six months, leaving upwards of 300,000 residents desperately looking for work by the end of 2025.
While the rest of the country was adding 584,000, Illinois lost a net of 1,700 jobs over the last year, with the hardest hit industries being in retail trade and manufacturing. Data shows 1.4 workers were left competing for every job, making Illinois home to the 7th highest such ratio in the country.
Illinois Policy Institute’s Josh Bandoch argues there’s a good reason why Illinois finds itself an outlier when it comes to job growth.
With Illinois’ workforce shrinking by nearly 109,000 over a yearlong period ending in December 2025 and the state’s labor force participation rate recently falling to 63.6, Bandoch worries the worse may still be yet to come.
He points to the state’s ongoing issues with outmigration and warns even more residents may be looking to leave if the state resists in making wholesale policy changes.
Story from Illinois Radio Network
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