State report: Illinois’ highest-paying employment sectors shrinking

Posted on February 12, 2017
Construction workers in Illinois made close to $70,000 on average last year. (Photo courtesy Pixabay)

By Illinois Radio Network/Cole Lauterbach

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is ranked last in the nation in one of its highest-paying employment sectors, according to a state report.

The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s January report showed some troubling numbers for people looking to grow their wages in Illinois.

Even though the state’s unemployment rate is slowly improving, the jobs that are available pay lower wages than the jobs that are consistently leaving Illinois. COGFA analyst Eric Noggle said Illinois’ high-paying construction jobs are declining faster than any other state.

“That’s the highest-earning subsector we have in Illinois, but we’ve lost 16.8 percent over the last several years alone,” he said. “Manufacturing is the same way. We’re down 13 percent in the last several years. This is a trend that we’re seeing nationally, but Illinois is well below average in comparison to these other states.”

“Midwest jobs have struggled over the last several years, but when we see competitors succeeding where we are failing, that’s alarming,” he said.

On the flip-side, Noggle said the highest growth in jobs has been in the low-paying leisure and hospitality industry.

“It’s great to have more jobs in Illinois, but those jobs are some of the lowest-paying wages that we have,” he said.

Construction workers in Illinois averaged $1,334 per week last year.

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