Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
A Chicago think tank fears that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive proposal could hasten unemployment in the Prairie State.
Orphe Divounguy, chief economist with Illinois Policy Institute, writes that the state’s job gains of 45,000 last year will be all for naught if voters give the green light to the fair tax. An analysis by the IPI shows that the state would lose 56,366 jobs.
The 45,000-job gain came at a sluggish rate compared to the national average, according to the institute.
Divounguy points out that “the state’s unemployment rate – while reaching historic lows in 2019 – remains higher than the national average and those of most neighboring states.”
“The rate has actually been the byproduct of a declining labor force rather than employment gains,” Divounguy writes.
In addition to a lackluster jobs performance, Illinois is currently in its sixth year of population decline, according to the institute.
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