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Illinois

* From a press release…

The Illinois seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November is 10.9 percent, down 0.1 percent from October, according to figures released today by the Illinois Department of
Employment Security. The three-month moving average increased 0.3 percent to 10.8 percent. Slight increases and decreases in the unemployment rate are to be expected in a national recession.

“Today’s preliminary report reflects the slight-up-and-down movement common in a national
recession and should not be used to predict the future,” IDES Direct Maureen O’Donnell said. “Past experience in Illinois suggests that signs of an economic recovery first will be felt elsewhere in the nation before significant job growth appears here at home.”

Illinois non-farm payroll reported -6,300 fewer jobs in November than in October, the 22nd consecutive monthly loss. The pace of job loss has slowed in recent months. During the last three months, job loss in Illinois has averaged -6,167 each month compared to an average monthly job loss of -25,075 during the first eight months of this year. Compared to
October, employment continued to fall in the Leisure and Hospitality (-4,900), Construction (-3,900), and Trade and Transportation (-1,700) sectors. The Manufacturing sector showed little change by dropping -200 positions. The Educational and Health Services and Professional and Business Services sectors gained employment. Education and Health Services added 6,000
positions. Professional and Business Services added 1,100.

Nationally, the November unemployment rate declined 0.2 percent to reach 10.0 percent.

Oy.

* The Question: What two state programs would you enhance or create to lower unemployment here? Explain.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 12:49 pm

Comments

Christmas hiring? Maybe thats why?

Comment by Nortsider Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 12:54 pm
The Office of the Executive Inspector General and the Office of the Legislative Inspector General

Comment by John Bambenek Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:04 pm
OK, let’s stick to the question, please.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:18 pm
We were not warned to avoid snark and I have so many comebacks. However, to be serious, shovel ready capitol spending programs are the best bet to get hiring moving along.

I am generally not a believer that state programs can provide true long term hiring activities - that is for the business sector. They create the real jobs with “money multiplier” principles attached.

Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:18 pm
Increased funding for state universities and community colleges through career re-training, technical certification programs, increased faculty for in-demand majors, further research grants, and career placement assistance. Or in SIU’s case, simply paying existing bills…

Enhanced rebates and incentives from DCEO to attract next-generation and long-term employers to move or expand in Illinois. In conjunction with DCEO incentives, DOT infrastructure enhancement and expansion, and funding for fiber-optic and technological infrastructure.

Comment by Sewanee Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:24 pm
Provided we can magically wave the legislation wand and not have to deal with conflicts between executive offices and agencies, why not take all of the low-interest loan vehicles from the various agencies & the Treasurer’s Office and get the money flowing to businesses that will guarantee hires. Drop all of the various bureaucratic hurdles of small-business or big-business or minority owned businees or agricultural or green industry or anything. If a business can use money and will hire people, get the loans flowing.

Comment by SangamoGOP Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:27 pm
I would enhance the governor’s office with a sense of urgency to issue capital development bonds already, like they should have done after they were approved last summer.

Road construction season is past, but there’s plenty of deferred maintenance and construction that should be taking place right now.

In the past, state tourism TV and radio advertising in the winter months have been shown to spike overnight visits and accompanying dining, shopping, etc.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:28 pm
I’ve recently heard of some real horror stories re: getting unemployment benefits after they’ve been extended. These aren’t deadbeats losing their jobs, streamline and extend the benefits… Throttle back when economy improves… (conservative heresy, I know. Whatever.).

Suspend prevailing wage rules — temporarily. Rules that artificially raise wage levels hurt employment… Given the state of the trades, I think the unions should swallow some concessions in exchange for getting their guys back to work.

Comment by Greg B. Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:34 pm
And oh… rolling back the min. wage won’t do much of anything…

Comment by Greg B. Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:35 pm
Increased funding for state universities and community colleges through career re-training,

Sort of. What you have, is many people with a college degree of one sort or another.

What you NEED are people with different degrees. Many MANY college degrees have only a few “core” courses that make up that degree. Why not offer those classes via remote instruction at community colleges all over IL? Local instructors can proctor tests, and grade them. Exisiting University professors can teach them via TV and conference call. Such facilities are easy to set up, and reasonably priced.

Then, upon finishing, you get a NEW degree, in what ever field you studied.

Low cost, leverages existing facilites, helps those who need it, generates a workforce quickly.

You just need the legislature to pass a bill, mandating the state Us to offer such classes, and confer degrees. It could be up and running in a year.

Why not do so?

Comment by Pat Collins Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:36 pm
I learned early in business that is you want to be successful at a company, take the worst job that no one wants to do and perfect it. It leads to job security as well as promotion.

In that vein, I would suggest using the upcoming federal takeover of the Anderson prison as a springboard to make Illinois the most inventive, progressive and efficient state when it comes to incarceration. I would expand our facilities and the Illinois Universities to become the leading experts in the penal system. I would try to become the penal state of the nation.

I would also try to become the leading state for green technologies such as wind power. Why isn’t there mini-wind power generators on every home helping to power up the nation. They would look similar to the old TV antenna’s on houses. Furthermore, when I fly-in fish way up in Canada, the cabins we stay in are powered by solar power stored in car type batteries. If they can do it in Ontario-we can certainly do it here.

I also believe there is a market for properly disposing of waste, standard as well as potentially hazardous. ie. medical or international. There are technologies that kill any bugs and break down the mass to a fraction of the landfill space.

The point would be to make green industries a realty instead of a politicians talking point.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:38 pm
As an example: For me, to go from BS Engineering ==> BS Accoutning, I would need 17 classes. Full times, that is 3 semesters. 1.5 years, and thats’ a somewhat radical change in careers.

To get a BS Biochemistry Eng, I only need 5 classes

Comment by Pat Collins Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:53 pm
Cut the corporate income tax to ZERO. Then watch the employers and their jobs come rushing back in from the neighboring states. This will then do two things:

1) Decrease your spending because your unemployment is down

2) Increase your tax base and thereby increase the amount of overall taxes that you collect.

You have to remember that Illinois is not an island. All of these jobs that have left need to be brought back and to do that you have to provide incentives. This is Conservatism at it’s very core and it works EVERY time that it is tried.

This State is proof that Liberal tax and spend policies have not, do not and will not work EVERY time that it is tried.

Comment by BIG R.PH. Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:56 pm
Legalze marijuana. You create a whole new industry of growers, pickers, and stores. The State could tax it and solve it’s budget problems.

Comment by Dead Head Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 1:58 pm
Since the state has no money, a state program can’t be enhanced or created with state dollars because that implies additional state employees will be hired.

Employment has to come from the private sector to have a real affect on employment numbers, or stepping up the war in Afghanistan to enhance defense industry contracts with any manufacturers left in the state to win some of them.

Comment by Captain Flume Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:17 pm
CF

I agree unless the cash is coming from the feds or from highway bonds, etc. The idea that the state can create real employment is not sound. Businesses create jobs, gov’ts create boondoggles.

Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:27 pm
–Businesses create jobs, gov’ts create boondoggles.–

Necessary government jobs aren’t boondoggles, I hope.

I’d suggest we’re living in an era of some pretty good business boondoggles, as well.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:37 pm
At least the people victimized by business boondoggles had the choice of whether or not to invest in them, taxpayers are obligated to fund government boondoggles.

Comment by Captain Flume Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:47 pm
Ethanol building program. With the federal commitment to dramatically increased and mandated ethanol use, we need to promote new plants and expansion in Illinois. While some plants have struggled, improved technology makes the newer facilities cost effective.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 2:50 pm
Roll back the barriers keeping big box stores out of Chicago. Each of those stores will hire hundreds.

Chicago has enough potential to have literally dozens of these stores. This will not only drop the unemployment rate - it would also force prices down by at least 15% within the City so every Chicago can spend less.

That will be an excellent start.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:05 pm
Private enterprise is the real key to getting people back to work. 1.Reform worker’s comp in a big way and 2.reduce or eliminate the corporate tax. Two steps in making IL a competitive business climate vs. Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.

Comment by RobRoy Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 3:20 pm
Enhance services for foster children. Right now when foster kids turn 18 they are kciked into the world with no support (many of us rely heavilyon our families as we transition to adult hood) no safety nets etc. I would provide them money for college, access to positive environment group homes, and mentor systems with adults who help them prepare to hunt for jobs, navigate the world of little things liek elarning how to shop for foood, use a checking account, understand loans, credit cards, etc.

This would help end the cycle of foster kids nding up unemployed and unfrotunetly creating more children who end up in the same system which just abandons them.

For my second program I would increase jobs training for inmates and provide incentives to employers to hire former felons.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:13 pm
1. Aggressive expansion of the Illinois Edge Program with increased tax credits and caps for real job creation. 2. Workers Comp reform to provide approximately equal benefits with surrounding states.

Comment by One of the 35 Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:19 pm
Fully staff our prisons
Fully staff our state parks
Get the state staffing levels back to where they were before the George Ryan early retirement plan.

Comment by WOW Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:20 pm
–1.Reform worker’s comp in a big way and 2.reduce or eliminate the corporate tax. Two steps in making IL a competitive business climate vs. Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.–

Indiana and Missouri are about as bad off as we are. Iowa is better, but they’re certainly not low tax. Like other Great Plains states, they’ve been depopulating for decades; former residents are now unemployed in California and Nevada.

Unless you’re in the Great Plains, the rates are pretty bad all over.

http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/gapmap/index.htm

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:32 pm
Business boondoggles will disappear when the investors figure out that there ain’t nothin’ good going on. Ever hear of a gov’t boondoggle being axed?

Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Dec 17, 09 @ 4:58 pm