Illinois – with a Democrat governor and a Democrat-controlled legislature – is having a hard time regaining the jobs lost during COVID.
Newly released data from the Labor Department confirms that Republican governors and legislatures are leading the way in getting Americans back to work.
o More jobs are being recovered and unemployment is lower in red states.
o Through January, 15 of the top 20 states for jobs recovered since the coronavirus pandemic began are led by Republican governors, and 17 of the top 20 states have Republican-controlled legislatures.
o The top six states for jobs recovered are all led by Republicans.
o Nine Republican-led states – Utah, Idaho, Montana, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee – have more jobs than when the pandemic hit.
All Republican-led states have recovered at least two-thirds of their lost jobs.
o Republican-led states on average have recovered 93 percent of their lost jobs compared to just 80 percent for Democrat-run states.
Illinois is one of the ten states whose unemployment rates have struggled the most …