CHICAGO — Black unemployment in Illinois is tied for worst in the nation, a new analysis says.
Using federal Bureau of Labor statistics, the Illinois Policy Institute says black unemployment in Illinois was 12.7 percent in 2016, compared to 6.7 percent for Latinos and five percent for whites.
The Chicago-based Institute blames manufacturing job losses in the Chicago area and a lack of construction job opportunities.
While the 12.7 percent unemployment figure is tied with Nevada, the Institute's report notes that that Illinois' black population is seven times as large as Nevada "meaning Illinois' crisis is playing out on a much larger scale."
Broken down by gender, black men in Illinois had an unemployment level of 14.2 percent (second after Nevada's 15.5 percent). The unemployment rate in the state for African-American women was 11.3 percent (second to Pennsylvania's 12.6 percent.)
"The number of black people working in Illinois has been in decline since the turn of the century," wrote Michael Lucci, vice president of policy for the Institute. "There were 77,000 fewer blacks working in Illinois in 2016 compared with 2000, a shocking 10 percent decline in total employment."
Meanwhile, Illinois’ combined white and Latino employment is up by 272,000 since 2000, he writes.
The Institute describes itself as "an independent organization generating public policy solutions aimed at promoting personal freedom and prosperity in Illinois." Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has contributed more than $500,000 to the group, saying he appreciates its "free-market conservative principles.”
The report says the state Legislature "has largely ignored" the problem of black unemployment.
As some activists push for minimum wage increases — the labor-backed Fight For $15 group has a planned march on the McDonald's at 600 N. Clark St. Tuesday — the Institute's report argues that such increases will "keep low skilled and minority workers out of starter jobs." It also bemoans the state's prevailing wage laws that raise pay but, the group says, holds down employment.
The report also calls for reforming the criminal justice system, noting that nearly 60 percent of the state's prison population is black.
"Addressing the nation’s highest black unemployment rate should be a top priority for Illinois lawmakers, who should tackle the problem with policy solutions that will have a positive impact on black families," the report said.
The report argues that without such action, "black neighborhoods will continue to depopulate as families move east to Indiana and migrate to the South in search of better opportunities."
Cook County lost more people last year than any county in the country, according to the U.S. Census. In 2015, Chicago's population dropped by 2,890, the second-highest drop of any American city.
