Illinois had the nation’s highest black unemployment rate in 2016, according to annual unemployment data released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. Only 51 percent of black adults reported having some form of work in Illinois, highlighting an economic crisis that far too few political leaders are talking about. The BLS data support the conclusions in recent quarterly reports from the Economic Policy Institute, which have pointed to Illinois as having the nation’s highest black unemployment.
Illinois’ weak job creation has a significant effect on the black community, especially due to manufacturing job losses in the Chicago area and a lack of construction job opportunities. Illinois’ black unemployment rate was 12.7 percent in 2016, compared with 6.7 percent for Latinos and 5 percent for whites.
Illinois’ 12.7 percent black jobless rate is the highest in the U.S., tied with Nevada. However, Illinois’ black population is seven times as large as Nevada’s, meaning Illinois’ crisis is playing out on a much larger scale. Illinois’ neighboring states achieved much lower black jobless rates than Illinois in 2016. (BLS does not calculate a black unemployment rate for Iowa, however, because the state’s black population does not constitute a sample large enough to be included in the BLS survey.)
The weighted average black jobless rate for all other states is 8.1 percent, and the weighted average among Illinois’ border states is 8.9 percent.
Perhaps equally telling is Illinois’ black employment rate – the percentage of black adults who are engaged in some form of work. Illinois’ black employment rate is only 51.2 percent, meaning that just over half of Illinois’ adult black residents have some form of work. Michigan is the only state with a lower black employment rate than Illinois.
The weighted average black employment rate for other states is 56.8 percent, and the weighted average among Illinois’ border states is 59.2 percent.
Black men in Illinois had a 14.2 percent unemployment rate, the second-worst in the nation after Nevada’s 15.5 percent rate. Black women in Illinois had an 11.3 percent unemployment rate, also the second-worst in the nation, better only than Pennsylvania’s 12.6 percent rate.
Black employment in Illinois fell by 18,000 people from 2015 to 2016, and the number of black workers in Illinois’ labor force shrank by 16,000. Despite the shrinking workforce, the black unemployment rate increased to 12.7 percent from 12.2 percent year over year.
The number of black people working in Illinois has been in decline since the turn of the century. There were 77,000 fewer blacks working in Illinois in 2016 compared with 2000, a shocking 10 percent decline in total employment. By comparison, Illinois’ combined white and Latino employment is actually up by 272,000 since 2000, according to the BLS’ annual average data.
Similarly, the recovery in black employment over the Great Recession era lags that of the rest of the state. Black employment is still down 5.1 percent compared with its pre-recession high.
- NoGifts - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 11:50 am:
“Only 51 percent of black adults reported having some form of work in Illinois” …. nice way to present a shocking and probably misleading statistic. don’t adults include the elderly and disabled?
- PJ - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 11:51 am:
NoGifts -
Probably. That would mostly account for the difference between 12.7% unemployment and 51% employment.
- Thomas Griffin - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 11:53 am:
As a White state university employee struggling to support an underemployed Black family on 20% reduced salary due to recent furloughs, the crisis is especially severe. Land of Lincoln has become land of Jim Crow.
- Lucci - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 11:58 am:
NoGifts,
White employment rate is 63.2% and Latino employment rate is 65%. Was not intending to leave that out or mislead on the meaning.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 11:59 am:
Our “Outdoor Man” Governor will fix it!
- Atsuishin - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:14 pm:
Does anyone have a serious solution to deal with this? Suppose Madigan/dem candidates for gov get unified power like they had betweens 2003 - 2015 and get 100% of their spending and tax increases, will black unemployment meaningful fall? Please be specific.
- SOIL M - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:17 pm:
To get a view of why this is, that is a bit different than the majority opinions here, I suggest readers do a little reading of the opinions put forth by Thomas Sowell and/or Burgess Owens.
- Been There - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:22 pm:
===There were 77,000 fewer blacks working in Illinois in 2016 compared with 2000, a shocking 10 percent decline in total employment.===
While this is a disturbing number I believe a lot of this decrease would be attributable to the decrease in the black population in Illinois. That is a disturbing trend also but it should be noted.
- Ron - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:23 pm:
This combined with horrible black on black crime is why Chicago is losing its black population. Does anyone think Madigan cares?
- Matt Belcher - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:24 pm:
“In Illinois,unemployment rate was 12.2% for African-Americans, 7.2% for Hispanics and 5.0% for whites”
Page 16, 2016 Annual Report IDES, “Women and Minorities in the Illinois Labor Force” http://www.ides.illinois.gov/IDES%20Forms%20and%20Publications/Women_and_minorities_2016.pdf
- PJ - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:30 pm:
SOIL M –
Sowell is a really bright guy and an excellent writer, which is more than most liberals would concede. And I haven’t seen his thoughts on this specifically. But I can guess it goes something like: “pull yourself up by the bootstraps like I did, no handouts, rabble rabble”.
He’s always labored under the assumption that because he’s black and successful, anyone can follow in his footsteps just by working hard. That just isn’t the reality.
- crazybleedingheart - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:35 pm:
Trust IPI to use a genuine problem to support a bunch of nonsense about how sucking cash out of public schools and private wages in order to fatten business owners’ pockets will magically fix everything.
- Sue - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:37 pm:
Another area that Obama did a swell job on. The explanation is directly related to education and lack of skills. Employers are routinely complaining they have jobs they can’t fill. Fix the education problem and you fix the jobless issue. Without giving minorities the skills they need all you do is create more poverty and crime. But the CTU says their members are the best
- Bogey Golfer - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 12:49 pm:
The U of I study also states the cause of middle-class decline is the loss of manufacturing jobs. Most of these workers had only a high school diploma and maybe a class or 2 at the community college. Communities where manufacturing was king are hemoraging population.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 1:06 pm:
I’m super involved and super invested in this issue. Every day I work in the environment of poverty.
1) The current emphasis on welfare to work is pointed the right direction but misses the mark in this respect.
The partner organizations are dead in the water. Very few jobs to get them in to. We need huge funding. Lessie Bates would be a life saver but they are almost neutralized.
Thus we can get them in a work program/ internship etc
But that’s where it goes wrong
The program sucks and leads to nowhere so they give up.
These good people live in a desert of hope
It’s confirmed by underfunded programs.
Because they quit we sanction them and take away their food stamps. Three months first offense.
It’s an awful selffulfilling prophesy
Fund programs!
Republicans will never do this
Locally or from the state
Lip service to the black community
All the while destroying the few private programs that gave a bit of hope.
True DEMS have not worked hard enough either
Sisters and brothers I work in the Metro East
Corruption is a huge problem
But can only do what I can do to help
Here are my thoughts as they are
Fund private work programs
I guarantee that would help
Get a budget and pay those programs what we owe them.
But factor in your own privilege when thinking of our good neighbors.
Find your local deserts of hope and bring water and soil from your own bounty. Where but for the grace of God go I
Should be in all our minds
- Ghost - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 1:06 pm:
so an organization with an all white board and 99% white staff is worried about unemployment for minorities.
How about IPI put its cash where its mouth is and hire more blacks.
The board memebrs appear to be from companies with statistically small minority staff.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/our-story/?team-filter=leadership#team
- Lucci - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 1:09 pm:
Matt Belcher:
That 2016 annual report was published in March 2016. That makes it impossible to contain 2016 annual average rates. It contains 2015 annual average rates.
The report we put out uses 2016 annual averages which are more recent. I can provide the BLS link if that would help.
- City Zen - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 1:28 pm:
==so an organization with an all white board and 99% white staff is worried about unemployment for minorities. How about IPI put its cash where its mouth is and hire more blacks.==
Can I pass along your message to the trade unions as well? Guessing that might have a bigger impact.
BTW - Nice to see IPI has women in leadership roles. Pass that along to the trade unions as well.
- NoGifts - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 2:18 pm:
“Labor Shortages Slowing Growth of US Economy” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/us/politics/utah-economy-jobs.html?_r=0
It’s a big nation with a lot of regional differences! Maybe other opportunities are attracting people from the state.
- Chicago Barb - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 2:25 pm:
It would also be nice to see corporations/industries initiate their own training programs so there are jobs for the trainees to take when they finish the programs. That would eliminate the corporate whining about how public education isn’t preparing people for jobs.
- Atsuishin - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 2:29 pm:
Ron, Madigan does care. He thrives off a destitute, deprived and ignorant black community, dependent on what ever “programs” Dems are peddling. He needs these dismal trends to countine as theyre a breeding ground for re electing the do-nothing dem legislators who keep him in power.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 2:31 pm:
This presumes race, but I need to know the educational levels. I suspect educational achievement to be a much larger determining factor than race.
And Sowell was a gifted Marxist before developing into who he is now. He knows every side of these issues and can better debate any side of these issues, than his detractors. He needs no one to put words in his mouth, claim to know his thoughts or his journeys.
- Albany Park Patriot - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 2:33 pm:
I agree with Ghost up above. IPI, like their master Bruce Rauner, has virtually zero record in recruiting, hiring or retaining African Americans or Latinos. It’s almost as if they are more interested in scoring political points. Meanwhile, they are entirely silent while social services and wraparound services that help African Americans out of unemployment are slashed. I look forward to hearing them talk about the link between the lack of affordable health care and child care and black unemployment.
- Ron - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:05 pm:
Atsuishin is of course 100% correct.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:38 pm:
–Only 51 percent of black adults reported having some form of work in Illinois…–
–Illinois’ black unemployment rate was 12.7 percent in 2016,…—
Um…. huh?
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:42 pm:
–He thrives off a destitute, deprived and ignorant black community, dependent on what ever “programs” Dems are peddling.–
Can you really be “destitute,” “deprived” and “dependent” all at the same time? “Destitute” and “deprived,” by definition, means you have nothing to be “dependent” on. Because you’re “destitute” and “deprived”….
I bet you watch a lot of cable TV news/entertainment programs. Maybe you shouldn’t throw that “ignorant” word around so much.
- Ron - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:45 pm:
The unemployment rate is a reflection of people in the labor force looking for work or employed. The number of adults includes people not in the labor force.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 3:53 pm:
–The unemployment rate is a reflection of people in the labor force looking for work or employed. –
Obviously, the unemployment rate is not a “reflection” of people who are employed, as the prefix “un” means “not.”
You might want to sit this one out, playa.
- Matt Belcher - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:04 pm:
– Michael Lucci –
It’s not really “the numbers,” it’s the article’s “policy-driven conclusions” spawn from those numbers.
For example: “Minimum wage hikes will continue to create a barrier.” “Anti-growth industrial policies hurt black families…especially the prevailing wage law and the taxes and regulations that drive away manufacturing jobs.” School choice is the best answer to “failing schools.”
Those are Bradley Foundation neoliberal t*rdblossoms saran-wrapped by one attention-grabbing factoid. –Just maybe, only fifty one percent of black adults have jobs because of the factors discussed in another IPI project that deserved more consideration than a passing reference in the article:
http://www.bradleyfdn.org/On-Lion-Letter/ID/2178/Illinois-Policy-Institute-finds-alleviating-barriers-for-ex-offenders-can-provide-opportunity-save-state-millions-and-reduce-recidivism
- Ron - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:13 pm:
Yep, that was a typo.
The unemployment rate is people in the labor force that are looking for work but are not employed. Not all adults are in the labor force, so they are not part of the employment numbers either way.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:18 pm:
–The unemployment rate is a reflection of people in the labor force looking for work or employed.–
–Yep, that was a typo.–
Where’s the typo, Dr. Friedman?
- Ferris Wheel - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:41 pm:
Sue -
Not sure what this has to do with Obama, since he increased access and funding to community colleges, and since this is an Illinois state problem as opposed to a national problem.
Nonetheless, while I agree that education is a big part of it, there are a lot of other factors involved. Simply put, the best schools in the world are useless if children cant attend because they are afraid for their safety to cross certain areas of town - or even certain blocks. Nor are those schools doing much good if the students can’t concentrate because they are hungry and their families cannot provide enough food. Or are homeless/home insecure. Not to mention ills that affect people randomly of all races and classes, such as learning or mental illnesses, abuse or other trauma.
Yes, education is extremely important and we must improve all of our schools, not just the magnet and suburban schools. But in isolation it cannot substantially fix the black unemployment crisis.
- Ron - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:45 pm:
Again:
Unemployment is people in the labor force that are looking for work but are not employed. Not all adults are in the labor force, so they are not part of the employment numbers either way.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 4:51 pm:
–Not sure what this has to do with Obama,..–
He’s still black, isn’t he?
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 6:25 pm:
Really sad the Democrats plan to solve high unemployment for unskilled labor- a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage will actually increase unemployment for the people they are trying to help.
They give lip service to standing up for the middle class and those striving to get there while chasing high paying manufacturing jobs out of state.
Trump was right when he addressed the impoverished inner city community and said “what do you have to lose? ”
Voting for the same politicians who want to change nothing and somehow expect better results is insanity.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 6:39 pm:
LP, your concern-trolling is as credible as always. Scared that if there’s a bump in the minimum wage there might not be a toy in your next Happy Meal?
A bump for the 2.6% of the labor force that makes minimum wage — overwhelmingly white, by the way, not Trump’s beloved “inner city” dwellers — might get working people off the SNAP and the Section 8 vouchers that taxpayers provide as corporate welfare to the McDonald’s and Taco Bells of the world.
- Alternative Logic - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 6:39 pm:
“$15 per hour”
“chasing high paying manufacturing jobs” out of the state.
Houston, we’ve had a problem.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 7:36 pm:
Please cite a source for the 2.6% of the labor force that makes minimum wage — overwhelmingly white, by the way, not Trump’s beloved “inner city” dwellers.
We are talking about Chicago and Illinois.
It would be great if you could just address the issues instead of making up bogus facts and hurling insults.
Pretty sad you think everything is just fine for low skilled workers and raising the minimum wage will magically solve the problem.
here are the facts
The median income of whites in Chicago is $70,960 compared with $56,373 for Asians, $41,188 for Latinos and $30,303 for blacks. And the median values of homes owned by African-Americans and Latinos in Chicago are only about half those owned by whites, said Asante-Muhammad. Only 34.5 percent of African-Americans and 43 percent of Latinos own homes, compared with 53.5 percent of white residents.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-chicago-racial-wealth-divide-0131-20170130-story.html
Huge problems but Democrats have no solutions for their constituents other than raising the minimum wage.
How about attracting or retaining some private sector businesses to employ people?
A competitive workers comp and property tax environment would really help attract and retain high paying manufacturing jobs but that is only the Governor’s “personal agenda”
- What Bill said - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 8:01 pm:
Growth causes employment; employment doesn’t cause growth.
http://www.npr.org/2011/10/04/141033128/venture-capitalist-cautions-against-job-creation-myths
high paying manufacturing jobs are an illusion now:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-03-23/inside-alabama-s-auto-jobs-boom-cheap-wages-little-training-crushed-limbs
“Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, I wanted to increase my payroll because I think it’s good for the American economy. People run businesses because they want to satisfy their customers, they want to grow, and they want to make money. Jobs are an input. Rent is an input. The raw materials are an input. Those are all the things that you put into your products and services, and your goal is to have the highest quality at the lowest cost.” -Bill Frezza
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 8:51 pm:
LP, “Who makes minimum wage?” Pew Research Center, 9/14. Try the google.
I know you enjoy the simultaneous give and take, but you really shouldn’t accuse others of peddling “bogus facts.” Too funny coming from you.
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 10:04 pm:
Also, 23 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have higher minimum wages than the federal standard; people who earned the state minimum wage in those jurisdictions aren’t included in the 3.3 million total.)
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/08/who-makes-minimum-wage/
Illinis is not included in these numbers because we have a higher minimum wage already.
So your link would be irrelevant in regards to Illinois but it would not be the first time.
You did get off an insult and succeeded in not addressing the problems in Illinois. Maybe too many cigarettes and other things are clouding your judgement.
- Lucci - Tuesday, May 23, 17 @ 10:41 pm:
Matt, so your solution is status quo plus crim justice reforms (that we support)? That gets the job done?
I’m not alone on an island saying minimum wage hikes cause a loss in black employment. Look at the history of it. That’s what they were openly designed to do.
Prevailing wage law (Davis Bacon 1931) again is a law that was put in place to keep black off construction jobs. The historical purpose of that law is clear.
Manufacturing too was critical to the economies of southern cook and Chicago. We’re all good on policies that affect them?
Your richest comment is that black families shouldn’t have a choice in their schools. That one can stand for itself.