In the news
Will County Unemployment Falls Again in September 2020
Will County’s unemployment rate continued to improve in August, falling to 9.7 percent from a peak of 17.4 percent in April. Overall, total unemployed persons in Will County has fallen from a peak of more than 60,000 in April to just over 33,000 in September. The State also showed improvement, falling to 9.8 percent, and the Chicago MSA’s unemployment rate fell to 10.5 percent in September.
September also saw improvement at the national level with growth of 661,000 jobs. The growth was entirely within the private sector, with leisure and hospitality leading the way, adding 318,000 jobs.
Retail trade and health care also picking up more than 100,000 jobs each in the month. Total public sector employment fell by more than 200,000 in September, with large losses in the education sector as employment in local government education and state government education fell by 231,000 and 49,000, respectively.
The job recovery at the state and national levels continues but has shown signs of moderating as employment gains remain positive but are not showing the major gains of past months.
Current News
Regional Partnership for Economic Development Announced
The new Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership was announced this week and includes the City of Chicago, Cook County and six counties across the northeastern Illinois region including Will County.
Clarius Partners’ Lion Electric manufacturing facility: A once-in-a-lifetime project in Joliet
The kind of project that doesn’t come along very often. That’s how Peter Schmidt, senior vice president with Rosemont, Illinois-based Meridian Design Build, described the Lion Electric project in Joliet, Illinois.
Annual Report Speaks To Will County
Ruth Colby, CED Board Chair, welcomed more than 250 guests and thanked members of the CED Board for their time, guidance, and leadership in making the CED and Will County the best it can be. She reflected on the CED’s forty-one years of success. In 2022 forty-three investor organizations marked 30 years or more of investment in the CED, which was commemorated through presentations of Certificates of Appreciation recognizing their commitment to community and their partnership with the Will County Center for Economic Development.