June 2019 marked the tenth anniversary of the official end of the last recession. Illinois suffered a net loss of over 325,000 jobs during the recession. Since the recession, the Illinois economy experienced a much slower recovery than neighboring states or the nation. Illinois gained of 285,700 jobs between June 2009 and June 2019. However, there are almost 40,000 fewer jobs now than were lost during the recession. Downstate metros and rural counties were disproportionally impacted by job losses during the recession, with many continuing to lose jobs after the recession. Over half of Illinois’ counties had lower overall employment in June 2019 than at the end of the recession.

1. October, 2019
Ten Years After…
Employment Trends in Illinois
Since the Great Recession
Brian Harger, MS, EDFP, EGc
Research Specialist

2. Synopsis
June 2019 marks the tenth anniversary of the
official end of the last recession.*
• Illinois suffered a net loss of over 325,000 jobs
during the recession.
• Although the national recession ended in June
2009, unemployment throughout Illinois
continued to clime in over the next seven
months.
• Unemployment in the State peaked at 12.2% in
January 2010 with over 802,000 jobless
Illinoisans.
• Downstate metropolitan and rural areas were
among the hardest hit, although the Chicago
area experienced the greatest number of jobs
lost.
* The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic
Research (nber.org) has determined that the recent expansion cycle began in
June 2009.
Area Name
Non-Farm
Employment**
Change
12/2007 – 6/2009
12/2007 6/2009 Number Percent
State of Illinois 6,351,796 6,026,460 -325,336 -5.1%
Chicago Metro Area 4,261,714 4,068,227 -193,487 -4.5%
Downstate Metro Areas 1,343,568 1,251,961 -91,607 -6.8%
Micropolitan Areas 447,897 423,121 -24,776 -5.5%
Rural Counties 298,606 283,151 -15,455 -5.2%
Non-Metro Counties 746,503 706,272 -40,231 -5.4%
**Data is not seasonally adjusted.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019.

3. Synopsis
Since the recession, the Illinois economy
experienced a much slower recovery than
neighboring states or the nation.
• Illinois gained of 285,700 jobs between June
2009 and June 2019. However, there are almost
40,000 fewer jobs now than were lost during the
recession.
• The Chicago metro area has been the primary
beneficiary of job growth in the State a since the
recession, adding 290,000 jobs.
• Downstate metro areas experienced modest
gains in overall employment, while the non-
metro counties continue to decline.
• Sixty-two Illinois counties had fewer jobs in June
2019 than in June 2009.
Area Name
Non-Farm
Employment**
Change
6/2009 – 6/2019
6/2009 6/2019 Number Percent
State of Illinois 6,026,460 6,312,161 285,701 4.7%
Chicago Metro Area 4,068,227 4,358,234 290,007 7.1%
Downstate Metro Areas 1,251,961 1,282,180 30,219 2.4%
Micropolitan Areas 423,121 400,894 -22,227 -5.3%
Rural Counties 283,151 270,850 -12,301 -4.3%
Non-Metro Counties
(Micropolitan + Rural Counties)
706,272 671,744 -34,548 -4.9%
**Data is not seasonally adjusted.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019.

4. Illinois Employment Change by County
Percent Change
12/2007-6/2009
Percent Change
6/2009-6/2019
10.0% or more
5.0% to 9.9%
0.1% to 4.9%
No Change
-0.1% to -4.9%
-5.0% to -9.9%
-10.0% or more
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019.
Note: Non-farm employment data is not seasonally adjusted.

5. Regional Overview: The Recession
Illinois’ job losses in the recession were among the
highest in the Midwest. Only Michigan reported a
larger drop in non-farm employment.
• Iowa and Minnesota experienced the smallest
employment losses.
State Net Job
Change
Iowa -8,539
Minnesota -32,602
Kentucky -46,824
Missouri -48,302
Wisconsin -68,173
Indiana -152,292
Ohio -312,210
Illinois -325,336
Michigan -357,185
• Metropolitan counties in the states around Illinois
experienced losses similar to that of the Chicago metro
area, but less than most of the downstate metros.
• Non-metropolitan counties in the surrounding states
also experienced proportionally smaller job losses than
those in Illinois.
Non-Farm Employment (6/2009)
Net Change (12/2007-6/2009)
Percent Change (12/2007-6/2009)
IOWA
1,592,857
-8,539
-0.5
MINNESOTA
2,731,686
-32,602
-1.2
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019.
Note: Non-farm employment data is not seasonally adjusted.
WISCONSIN
2,872,995
-68,180
-2.3
MICHIGAN
4,265,921
-357,185
-7.7
MISSOURI
2,809,948
-48,302
-1.7
ILLINOIS
6,026,460
-325,336
-5.1
INDIANA
2,901,243
-152,292
-5.0
OHIO
5,329,761
-312,210
-5.5
KENTUCKY
1,871,543
-46,824
-2.4

6. Regional Overview: The Recovery
MINNESOTA
2,962,783
+231,100
+8.5 WISCONSIN
3,018,063
+145,060
+5.0
IOWA
1,697,477
+104,620
+6.6
MISSOURI
2,922,897
+112,954
+4.0
MICHIGAN
4,728,548
+462,622
+10.8
INDIANA
3,298,895
+397,652
+13.7
OHIO
5,570,542
+240,785
+4.5
KENTUCKY
1,992,463
+120,920
+6.5
Non-Farm Employment (6/2019)
Net Change (6/2009-6/2019)
Percent Change (6/2009-6/2019)
ILLINOIS
6,312,161
+285,700
+4.7
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019.
Note: Non-farm employment data is not seasonally adjusted.
Although Illinois added 285,700 jobs since the
recession ended, its job growth has been much
slower and weaker than its neighbors.
State Net Job
Change
Michigan 462,622
Indiana 397,652
Ohio 240,785
Minnesota 231,100
Illinois 285,700
Wisconsin 145,060
Kentucky 120,920
Missouri 112,954
Iowa 104,620
• Job growth in Illinois since the recession has been
proportionally smaller than in the surrounding states.
• Within Illinois, most job growth has been concentrated
in the Chicago metro area.
• More than half of the downstate metro areas have
lower overall employment now than at the end of the
recession.

7. Illinois Metro Areas: Employment Change
Metropolitan Area
Non-Farm
Employment
Change Unemployment
Rate 6/2019
6/2009 6/2019 Number Percent
Chicago 4,068,227 4,358,234 290,007 7.1% 4.0%
St. Louis (IL part) 315,900 337,631 21,731 6.9% 3.9%
Rockford 146,221 161,248 15,027 10.3% 5.3%
Champaign-Urbana 107,852 114,259 6,407 5.9% 3.8%
Kankakee 50,069 53,453 3,384 6.8% 4.3%
Springfield 108,071 108,782 711 0.7% 3.6%
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
(IL part)
103,135 102,405 -730 -0.7% 4.2%
Decatur 48,944 48,113 -831 -1.7% 5.0%
Danville 33,080 31,720 -1,360 -4.1% 4.7%
Bloomington 92,817 90,437 -2,380 -2.6% 3.7%
Carbondale-Marion 59,495 56,598 -2,897 -4.9% 4.0%
Peoria 182,329 175,521 -6,808 -3.7% 4.1%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Illinois Department of Employment Security, 2019.
Decatur
Bloomington
Danville
Kankakee
Rockford
Champaign-
Urbana
Carbondale-
Marion
Peoria
Chicago
Springfield
St. Louis
(IL part)
Davenport-Rock Island-
Moline (IL part)

8. Illinois Non-Metro Areas: Employment Change
Although rural counties across the Midwest have suffered a steady
decline in jobs and population over the past decades, this trend has
accelerated in the wake of the recession. In Illinois the impact has been
especially acute.
• Non-farm employment in Illinois’ non-metropolitan counties fell by -5.4% (40,231)
during the recession. Since the recession, employment has declined by an additional -
4.9% (34,528).
• This represents a combined loss of nearly 75,000 jobs from the beginning of the
recession until June 2019.
• Compared to many of its neighbors, employment trends in Illinois’ non-metropolitan
counties has been markedly worse both during and after the recession.
State (Non-Metropolitan Counties)
Employment Change
12/2007 – 6/2009 6/2009 – 6/2019
Illinois -40,231 -34,528
Indiana -43,537 71,354
Iowa -7,891 6,805
Kentucky -9,363 -42,913
Michigan -28,958 94,645
Minnesota 20,738 30,093
Missouri -8,006 -49,252
Ohio -75,569 25,007
Wisconsin 5,553 2,005
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019

9. Regional Overview: Unemployment vs. LFPR
MINNESOTA
WISCONSIN
IOWA
MISSOURI
MICHIGAN
INDIANA
OHIO
KENTUCKY
ILLINOIS
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019.
Note: Non-farm employment data is not seasonally adjusted.
10.7
4.0
66.8
64.5
10.8
3.3
65.3
64.9
6.6
2.6
71.8
68.4
11.0
4.9
61.9
59.1
15.3
4.4
62.5
61.4
8.2
4.1
72.3
69.9
9.7
3.5
66.5
63.6
10.9
4.1
66.0
62.4
9.0
3.5
70.6
67.9
Even though unemployment rates are at record
lows and employers in many industries complain
of labor shortages, the level of non-farm
employment in Illinois is lower now than at the
beginning of the recession (December 2007).
• Illinois has nearly 40,000 fewer people employed
now than in December 2007, the beginning of the
recession. This is in marked contrast to most of its
neighbors.
• The recent record low unemployment rates are
somewhat misleading because much it of has been
the result of falling labor force participation, rather
than an increase in the number of jobs.
• Aging population and a growing wave of retiring
Baby-Boomers can account for some of the decline,
but other factors are also involved.
• These include discouraged workers dropping out of
the job market, rising rates of disability and
addiction, and alternative forms of earning an
income (i.e. the “gig” economy) also play a role.
Unemployment Rate
(6/2009)
Unemployment Rate
(6/2019)
Labor Force Participation
(2009)
Labor Force Participation
(2018)
Change in Non-Farm Employment
(12/2007 – 6/2019)
+262,863
+147,171
+96,081
+74,096
+164,523
+108,298
-39,635
+245,360
-22,810

10. Industry Employment Trends
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019.
Note: Non-farm employment data is not seasonally adjusted.
Illinois’ slow recovery from the last recession
may be due in part to the mix of industries
that drive the State’s economy.
• Illinois and it neighbors are part of the “Rust Belt”
region where resource-based industries such as
agriculture, mining and manufacturing were the
dominant players for many years.
• As employment in these industries declined in the
late 20th Century, others such as healthcare,
financial activities, and professional and business
services grew in terms of the number of jobs, as
well as in their share of total employment.
• The job growth in these “new economy”
industries is concentrated in the larger metro
areas, especially Chicago, while most of the
downstate areas struggled with weaker job
growth in predominantly blue-collar and lower-
skilled service industries.
• The construction industry also had slower growth
after the recession, partly due to the lingering
effects of the home mortgage crisis of the mid-
2000s.
0.0
-36.1
-102.7
-20.4
-69.2
0.8
-23.9
-9.7
-24.2
-89.5
-0.3
18.8
16.7
1.1
-3.7
-1.9
13.5
24.8
15.6
-1.7
1.1
74.0
-15.5
26.1
197.8
18.5
114.8
128.3
-1.6
-21.4
-200.0 -100.0 0.0 100.0 200.0 300.0
Natural Resources and Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade
Retail Trade
Utilities
Transportation and Warehousing
Information
Financial Activities
Professional and Business Services
Education Services
Health Care and Social Assistance
Leisure and Hospitality
Other Services
Government
Thousands of Jobs
Change in Illinois’ Non-Farm Employment Through
Recession and Recovery
Net Change 6/2009 - 6/2019
Net Change 12/2007 - 6/2009

11. Industry Employment Trends
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019.
Note: Non-farm employment data is not seasonally adjusted.
• Leisure and hospitality services is one of only
two sectors that added jobs during and after
the recession, but many of those jobs are
part-time and pay less than the jobs lost in
other industries during the recession.
• Transportation and warehousing is a growth
industry after the recession, capitalizing on
Illinois strategic location at the center of the
North American road, rail and air
transportation network.
• Job losses in government and education
occurred across the State, but the impacts
can be particularly acute in rural
communities where universities and
community colleges, correctional institutions
and local schools are often the largest
employers and the primary sources of high
paid jobs.
0.0
-36.1
-102.7
-20.4
-69.2
0.8
-23.9
-9.7
-24.2
-89.5
-0.3
18.8
16.7
1.1
-3.7
-1.9
13.5
24.8
15.6
-1.7
1.1
74.0
-15.5
26.1
197.8
18.5
114.8
128.3
-1.6
-21.4
-200.0 -100.0 0.0 100.0 200.0 300.0
Natural Resources and Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade
Retail Trade
Utilities
Transportation and Warehousing
Information
Financial Activities
Professional and Business Services
Education Services
Health Care and Social Assistance
Leisure and Hospitality
Other Services
Government
Thousands of Jobs
Change in Illinois’ Non-Farm Employment Through
Recession and Recovery
Net Change 6/2009 - 6/2019
Net Change 12/2007 - 6/2009

12. Key Takeaways
• Since the recession, the Illinois economy has
experienced a much slower recovery than neighboring
states or the nation.
• Although Illinois has added 285,700 jobs over the ten
years since the recession ended there are still 40,000
fewer jobs in the State now than at the beginning of the
recession.
• Downstate metros and rural counties were
disproportionally impacted by job losses during the
recession, with many continuing to lose jobs after the
recession.
• Over half of Illinois’ counties had lower overall
employment in June 2019 than at the end of the
recession.
• Predominantly “white-collar” service industries
(especially healthcare, education and professional and
business services) experienced much higher job growth
after the recession than “blue-collar” sectors, such as
manufacturing and construction.

13. Looking Ahead…
As speculation continues as to the timing and magnitude of
the next recession, Illinois is in a vulnerable position.
The challenge going forward is how Illinois can capitalize on
new technologies, talent development and its strategic
location to maintain its economic vitality in the face of:
• An aging population and a continuing wave of Baby Boomer
retirements.
• Changing consumer demand and spending patterns based
on the shifting demographics.
• A shrinking working-aged population with fewer young
people coming into the workforce.
• Uncertain fiscal outlook for state and local governments.

14. Further Information
bharger@niu.edu
815.753.0934
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianharger/
https://www.slideshare.net/BrianHarger/
https://www.cgs.niu.edu
Selected Resources
Harger B., “Ten Years After… Employment Trends in Illinois Since the Great Recession”
Policy Profiles. [forthcoming] 2019. DeKalb: Center for Governmental Studies, Northern
Illinois University.
Walzer N. and Harger B., “The Future of Rural Illinois: Predicaments and Possible
Solutions” Policy Profiles. Vol. 18, No. 1, June 2018. DeKalb: Center for Governmental
Studies, Northern Illinois University.
Peters, D., “Shrink-Smart Towns: Communities Can Still Thrive As They Lose Population”
ISU Small Towns Project, November 2017, Extension and Outreach, Iowa State University.
Walzer N. and Harger B., “The Rural Exodus: What Should be Done to Respond to the
Loss of Rural Population” Illinois Issues. August 10, 2017. DeKalb: Center for
Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois University.
Walzer N. and Harger B., “Unemployment, Labor Force Participation and The Illinois
Work Force ” Policy Profiles. Vol. 17, No. 1, June 2017. DeKalb: Center for Governmental
Studies, Northern Illinois University.
Blanke A. and Walzer N., “Workforce Turnover and Replacement In Downstate Illinois”
Policy Profiles. Vol. 15, No. 3, October 2015. DeKalb: Center for Governmental Studies,
Northern Illinois University.
Blanke A. and Walzer N., “Illinois in the Post-Recession Recovery: A Fresh Look at the
State’s Progress” Policy Profiles. Vol. 13, No. 2, October 2014. DeKalb: Center for
Governmental Studies, Northern Illinois University.
Contact
Brian L. Harger, MS, EDFP, EGc
Research Specialist
Center for Governmental Studies
Northern Illinois University
148 North Third Street
DeKalb, Illinois 60115