Governor’s Opening Act on Jobs
The Rauner Administration has made job creation one of its top priorities. While the law-making process doesn’t begin in earnest until February, the Governor is already taking action where and when he can to address the issue.
Citing the high unemployment rate among veterans and minorities, Governor Bruce Rauner signed an Executive Order Jan. 19 that seeks to illuminate the factors contributing to this disparity. The Governor said that identifying the causes of this gap is the first step toward effecting positive changes that will increase employment opportunities for the state’s veteran and minority populations. More
Illinois Energy: Job Creation Awaits
According to a study conducted for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the potential benefits of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to extract oil and natural gas resources from deep underground could mean up to 47,000 jobs and a more than $9 billion economic impact in Illinois. More
Preparing for New Energy Jobs
One downstate Illinois community college says it will offer a degree program beginning this fall to educate workers in preparation for the new job opportunities likely to accompany the state’s growing oil and gas industry.
Lincoln Trail College in Robinson said the Illinois Department of Employment Security predicts a job increase of 23.2 percent for oil and gas laborers, 23.6 percent for oil and gas rotary drill operators and 24.1 percent for oil and gas derrick operators over the next seven years. More
More Food Stamps; Fewer Jobs
Efforts to expand job creation and put Illinoisans to work are critical to reducing the skyrocketing number of Illinoisans who rely on state assistance. A new report on Illinois’ long-suffering economy reveals a sobering fact: dependence on the food stamp program is at an all-time high in Illinois.
According to the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), an independent research organization, Illinois ranked last among twelve Midwest states in job creation during 2014. The IPI report also reveals that the number of Illinois households receiving food stamps last year hit a record high of 1,073,279. More