Governor J.B. Pritzker says he is proud of raising Illinois’ minimum wage, but the state’s unemployment rate has gone up since the annual increases were enacted in 2019.
On January 1st, the minimum wage for Illinois workers will rise from $14 per hour to $15, the final increase in a series of annual increases from a law Pritzker signed in February of 2019.
In February of 2019, the state’s unemployment rate was 4.8%. It’s now 5.3%, third highest in the U.S.
All of the states bordering Illinois have lower unemployment rates and lower minimum wages. The national unemployment rate in November was 4.1%.
Story from Illinois Radio Network
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