By: Ted Dabrowski
Good news of sorts was recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Illinois led the country with the largest increase in manufacturing employment in July, up 6,300 workers.
In a state that’s been in the bottom ten nationally for economic growth and job creation since Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office in 2019, the new manufacturing jobs are certainly good news for Illinoisans looking for work.
But context matters and a look at Illinois’ manufacturing employment over the last two decades is sobering at best. That’s also true for the last three years under Gov. Pritzker, where manufacturing continues to sputter.
Even with the 6,300 increase, Illinois is still down almost 300,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000.
The July blip up wasn’t even enough to get Illinois back to the pre-Covid levels Gov. Pritzker inherited in 2019 before he enforced his lockdown policies.
Context vis-a-vis Illinois’ neighbors should also temper any celebration. Even with the improvement in July, Illinois continues to lag its neighbors in manufacturing job creation.
Illinois has lost a staggering 34 percent of its manufacturing jobs in just 20 years. If Illinois had done as well as Indiana or Wisconsin in recovering lost jobs since 2000, Illinois would have 120,000 more manufacturing jobs today. Even Michigan, which has been hit hard for its one-industry reliance, is outperforming Illinois.
Illinois’ losses continue to point at the failure of Illinois’ leadership class to roll back the state’s many failed policies: the nation’s highest property taxes, the country’s biggest pension debts, the 4th-most burdensome regulations and chronic corruption.
Without a wholesale rejection of the status quo, expect the continued out-migration of companies and Illinoisans to continue.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- New U.S. labor data: Illinois unemployment rate now 3rd-highest in country
- Chicago crime statistics: Even worse than you think
- Illinois’ ‘good times’ are coming to an end as economy, stock market unwind
- Credit the near $200 billion federal bailout, not Pritzker’s actions, for Illinois’ “improved” 2023 budget
- Illinois lawmakers want to cement union powers into the state constitution
- The sickening laundry list of corruption cases in Illinois continues to grow
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.