There is reason to believe that for some states, it’s never going to get better.
Of course, if you’re in favor of a declining population, fewer jobs, and less economic production, the news is welcome.
Let’s discuss.
In April 2019 — sorry, Ben and Jerry, but that was during the reign of the Evil Orange One — Vermont maxed out on jobs. Employment started to trend down in the months before COVID-19 hysteria hit, and today, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the Green Mountain State has 5.4 percent fewer jobs than it did 40 months ago.
U.S. Census Bureau data show that between 2010 and 2020, Vermont’s population grew at barely more than a third of the national rate. Still, better than Illinois. It lost residents during the decade. And while Illinois’s drop since peak employment may not be as large as the Green Mountain State’s — 2.6 percent — the decline began in January 2008. Sadly, no help appears to be on the horizon. The Illinois Policy Institute found that in August, “seven of the 15 metropolitan areas that contain parts of” the Land of Lincoln surrendered “ground in recovering jobs lost during the pandemic.” (Earlier this month, Tyson Foods announced that it will “move about 500 corporate employees based in its Chicago office and Downers Grove innovation center to its Springdale, Arkansas, world headquarters.”)
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