ILL-inois: So-called recovery bypasses state

Only Nevada has a higher unemployment rate than ILL-inois. The nationwide jobless rate is 7.6 percent. The  recovery from the 2008-09 recession, such as it is, is anemic. And in Illinois it is non-existent.

From a Chicago Tribune op-ed:

Laugh all you want about Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign to recruit businesses from Illinois to the Lone Star State. We don't know whether Perry will succeed in prompting a commercial exodus from the Land of Lincoln to the land of droughts, fire ants and deadly fertilizer-plant explosions. Yet Perry's stunt is another serious wake-up call for Illinois politicians and the inhospitable business climate they've created.

Perry can boast to Illinois business leaders of a Texas unemployment rate that has fallen to 6.4 percent. That's an excellent barometer of his state's economic health. By contrast, the unemployment rate in Illinois is at 9.5 percent and, as the latest report from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates, it has been rising over the past year. In March, this state lost 17,800 jobs from the previous month.

That is no laughing matter.

The economic recovery in Illinois remains terribly weak. Our state has failed to make a strong comeback from the Great Recession that ended four years ago, in June 2009. We are falling further behind not just Texas, but practically every other state — including states such as Indiana that can make stronger arguments for luring Illinois businesses relatively short distances.

Related posts:

Rick Perry to overtaxed ILL-inois businesses: "Get out while there's still time"

Scott Walker sweetens invite to over-taxed Illinois businesses