Prairie State Wire

The share of Illinois workers who were separated from their jobs between mid-July and mid-August was 1.82 percent, the ninth highest percentage among the 50 states, according to an analysis of employment data by the Illinois Policy Institute.

Job-separation percentages ranged for 2.53 percent in Delaware to 0.39 percent in Maine, researchers found. 

On the positive side, the overall jobs picture in Illinois did improve between July and August as the state added 66,000 jobs, putting the state’s jobless rate at 11 percent.

But overall, according to the institute, Illinois’ labor-market rebound during the coronavirus pandemic lags behind the rest of the nation. One of the reasons for this is the economic uncertainties highlighted by recent job separations, which are 51 percent above the U.S. average, the analysis said.

In addition, Illinois residents without jobs were found to be more than 20 percent less likely to secure employment than the average American worker, researchers said. Such difficulties facing job seekers point to low demand during the coronavirus situation and the fallout from the state’s emergency orders, the analysis said.

Improving the economic climate in the state means not placing additional burdens on small businesses, such as the Nov. 3 “fair tax” ballot proposal that would increase levies by $3.7 billion, the institute said.

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July-August Job Separation Rates by State

State	% of Workers Separated From Their Jobs, Mid-July to Mid-August	Rank
Delaware	2.53%	1
California	2.27%	2
North Carolina	2.02%	3
Rhode Island	2.01%	4
New York	1.99%	5
West Virginia	1.94%	6
Nevada	1.92%	7
Pennsylvania	1.86%	8
Illinois	1.82%	9
Massachusetts	1.68%	10
Montana	1.67%	11
Kentucky	1.53%	12
Florida	1.52%	13
Oregon	1.40%	14
Wyoming	1.36%	15
Georgia	1.32%	16
South Dakota	1.28%	17
Hawaii	1.26%	18
Virginia	1.22%	19
Arizona	1.20%	20
Maryland	1.20%	21
Missouri	1.18%	22
Connecticut	1.15%	23
Colorado	1.14%	24
Kansas	1.13%	25
Mississippi	1.13	26
Louisiana	1.10%	27
Michigan	1.10%	28
Arkansas	1.08%	29
Utah	1.02%	30
New Mexico	1.00%	31
Washington	0.99%	32
New Jersey	0.91%	33
Vermont	0.90%	34
Minnesota	0.90%	35
Wisconsin	0.88%	36
North Dakota	0.85%	37
Texas	0.85%	38
Ohio	0.83%	39
Idaho	0.82%	40
New Hampshire	0.81%	41
South Carolina	0.81%	42
Iowa	0.78%	43
Nebraska	0.72%	44
Tennessee	0.63%	45
Alaska	0.56%	46
Alabama	0.54%	47
Oklahoma	0.50%	48
Indiana	0.40%	49
Maine	0.39%	50

Source: Illinois Policy Institute