The State of Illinois has a labor shortage problem but the biggest impact for the state seems to be in a shortage of government workers. From the Daily Herald:
Roughly 13% of all state government jobs in Illinois are vacant, with significant holes in public safety and health care posts.
Some of the biggest areas of need in Illinois for state workers are in the public protection and justice sector, which includes Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Corrections. There were more than 1,000 fewer state workers in that sector in 2022 than in 2020, a 5.5% drop.
The Daily Herald
The situation isn’t helped by the fact that many are fleeing the State of Illinois. According to NAR, Illinois lost almost 142,000 people in 2022 and is poised to lose more as boomers retire and flee to warmer climates.
News Nation Now reports that Illinois has nearly 2,000 teacher openings and that problem will likely grow as more people flee the state.
Lastly, the Chicago Tribune reports of a growing shortage of pediatric nurses in the state.
The Ruizes are not the only Illinois family that’s been left in the lurch. Across the Chicago area, children with complex, chronic conditions are finding themselves stuck in hospitals longer than they should be because it’s so difficult to find in-home pediatric nurses. That, in turn, can mean fewer available hospital beds for all kids, something that became a serious problem in the fall as respiratory illnesses in children surged.
Chicago Tribune
No nurses or teachers for kids and no government officials to officiate business or government activity is a recipe for business disaster. It’s no wonder some companies have started fleeing the state including Citadel, Boeing, and Caterpillar. Walmart recently announced the closing of three stores within Chicago alone.
If Illinois doesn’t do something soon, cities like Chicago can become the new rust city much like Detroit did over the past few decades.
We expect profit opportunities out of these changing times so we’ll keep researching but in the meantime stay tuned, stay profitable, and stay solvent…