Local economy stands to gain from State Farm job transfers

Posted on May 11, 2017

 

Some operations from shuttered facilities will be shifted to State Farm’s Bloomington headquarters. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Howard Packowitz

Bloomington-Normal stands to see a pick-up in economic activity as State Farm shuts down 11 offices nationwide and moves about 42-hundred jobs to other locations, including its corporate headquarters here.

Like so many other communities, anemic economic growth has plagued McLean County since the Great Recession. It’s hard to say how many State Farm jobs will shift to Bloomington, but Zach Dietmeier of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council told our news partner WMBD-TV that new payrolls are good for the local economy.

“We think it is a really positive move, because anytime that Bloomington-Normal is included in these realignments or strategic plans for companies, then we’re real happy about it and we’re just looking forward to see what that means for us,” said Dietmeier.

State Farm said it is providing job opportunities to affected workers at existing company sites. State Farm will consolidate its facilities in phases from 2018 to 2021.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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