Prairie State Wire

GOP candidate for Illinois governor and State Sen. Darren Bailey is dismayed by the latest employment data.

“The national economy did add jobs in July," Bailey said. But not Illinois.”

Bailey pointed out the paltry job employment numbers during the current Governor's term. 

"Under J.B. Pritzker’s failed leadership, Illinois has hemorrhaged jobs and businesses," Bailey said. "Illinois has the highest jobless rate in the region, and there are 81,000 fewer jobs in Illinois today compared to when J.B. Pritzker took office."

Bailey noted that the data is Pritzker's "record of complete failure" and "It will take years to recover from J.B.’s tax hike and lockdown agenda, and recovery won’t happen under more of his failed leadership.”

While the Bureau of Labor Statistics July jobs report, released recently, has noted an adjusted number of 528,000 new nonfarm jobs and the unemployment rate steadily going back at 3.5 percent — right in the range before the pandemic, the numbers appear different from reality. 

“When you put these numbers in the context of an economy with high inflation, the stock markets down, interest rates up, and GDP sagging, you get a picture of a lot of people working either more than they want to (picking up a second job) or less than they need to (getting part-time work instead of full-time work), and fewer people working as their own boss — all while employers face a shrinking workforce unable to fill all the open positions,” Dan McLaughlin wrote in the National Review.

Bailey also pointed out that Pritzker is more interested in focusing on politics rather than solving the state's fiscal problems. 

"The 2.5 percent GDP decline in the first quarter in Illinois is higher than the average 1.6 percent decline nationally," Bailey said. "While states like Texas and Florida have been lowering taxes and creating a better business climate, the only thing JB Pritzker is offering is a commitment to be the wokest state in the country. The truth is companies want to locate where taxes are low and where there is a level playing field for all businesses not just the politically connected ones.”