Illinois State Representative Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) announced today that he is alarmed by a recent report predicting that Illinois will be the worst state for job creation in 2014.
According to a recent report by Pew Charitable Trusts, Moody’s Analytics expects Illinois to have a growth rate of just .98 percent with an increase of roughly 57,000 jobs in 2014. This rate would put Illinois behind all of the other 49 U.S. states in job creation. North Dakota is expected to be the number one state in job creation with a rate of 3.57 percent.
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“This report proves that Illinois’ economy is not improving and that we as the state legislature must enact legislation aimed at strengthening the economy and putting people back to work,” Rep. Kay said. “Over the past few years I have introduced countless pieces of legislation, including a comprehensive jobs package and workers’ compensation reform which never received the opportunity for a full vote before the House. The legislation I introduced would improve our economy by making Illinois a more attractive state for businesses looking to relocate.”
While most of the predicted fastest growing states are in the Southern and Western regions of the country, Illinois’ neighbors in the Midwest are expected to grow more rapidly than Illinois. Of all Illinois’ neighbors, Kentucky has the highest expected growth rate with a rate of 1.63 percent. Missouri has an expected growth rate of 1.33.
Rep. Kay added, “Illinois should be leading the Midwest in all economic categories thanks to our strategic location as a key transportation hub and our highly educated work force, we are falling behind our neighbors. I will continue to propose and support job creating legislation aimed at rebuilding Illinois’ fragile economy.”
The study conducted by Moody’s Analytics can be found by visiting the Pew Charitable Trusts website at
