Over 133,000 individuals filed for unemployment in Illinois in March. | Wikimedia commons
Over 133,000 individuals filed for unemployment in Illinois in March. | Wikimedia commons
Over 133,000 residents filed for unemployment in Illinois in March and almost half of the claims came days after businesses were shuttered in the state due to COVID-19, according to NBC Chicago.
Between March 16 and March 18, Illinois had approximately 64,000 new unemployment claims. The number is 10 times the number of claims during the same period in 2019.
“We’ve all been readying for really bad news. This is bad news," Todd Maisch, CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, told Crain's Chicago Business.
In Illinois, workers who were furloughed due to COVID-19 and expect to return to a job are eligible for unemployment. That means the numbers reported may not reflect permanent job losses, Maisch told Crain's.
The Illinois Policy Center has recommended a number of measures to address the COVID-19 crisis, including the delay of the first installment of local business property taxes until Oct. 1.
The Illinois Policy Center also advocates removing barriers--such as laws requiring health care facilities to prove they have a need before purchasing new equipment--in order to increase the capacity of the state’s health care system.
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