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State Stix

State work force: up and down

Nine years up, 1972-1981

Total state government employment outside of public universities grew from 72,782 in March 1972 to 80,096 in March 1981, an increase of 7,314 workers or 10.0 percent.

Source: Office of the State Comptroller.

Next two years down

From the 1981 peak of 80,096, non-university state payrolls plunged for two years, bottoming out at 74,304 workers in March 1983. The 5,792 worker decrease (7.2 percent) was driven by financial crisis.

Source: Same as above.

Eight years of growth

State nonuniversity payroll growth resumed after 1983. The number of state workers increased each year, peaking in March 1991 at 85,494, an increase of 11,190 workers over eight years or 15.1 percent growth.

Source: Same as above.

Crisis hits in 1991

The fiscal crisis that shook the Capitol in 1991 produced the largest single decrease in state government non-education employment in Illinois history. By March 1992 the payrolls had shrunk 3,632, to 81,862, a decline of 4.4 percent.

Source: Same as above.

Some consistent patterns

While total state payrolls have been marked by peaks and valleys, in some agencies there is a consistent pattern. Driven by burgeoning prison populations, the Department of Corrections has had steady increases in the number of its workers. Between 1972 and 1992, its work force increased from 4,953 to 11,736, a 137 percent increase. Over the same period, the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities saw consistent declines, as patients were moved out of state institutions. Employment in the mental health department dropped from 22,910 in 1972 to 12,839 in 1992, a 44 percent decline.

Source: Same as above.

General funds

On June 30, 1992, the end of fiscal year 1992, Illinois had a general funds balance of $130.898 million. The average daily available balance in June was $189.204 million. At the end of June the comptroller was holding $331 million in bills that the state lacked the cash to pay.

At the end of July, the first month of fiscal 1993, the general funds balance was $133.194 million, and the average daily available balance was $125.825 million. At the end of July the comptroller was holding $354 million in bills that the state lacked the cash to pay.

Source: Same as above.

Unemployment rates:
Illinois and nation

The nation's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 7.8 percent in June (from 7.5 percent in May) and fell to 7.7 percent in July. Illinois' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 8.6 percent in June (from May's 8.0 percent) and fell to 8.4 percent in July.

Source: Department of Employment Security.

Illinois work force

In June the state's civilian labor force consisted of 6.220 million people with 5.683 million working and 537,000 unemployed. In July there were 6.102 million people in the labor force; 5.590 million people were employed, and 512,000 were looking for work.

Source: Department of Employment Security.

Metro area unemployment rates

In May and June the unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) in the state's metro areas were:
Aurora-Elgin PMSA (Kane and Kendall counties), 7.9 percent, 9.0 percent.
Bloomington-Normal MSA (McLean County), 5.2 percent, 5.5 percent.
Champaign-Urbana-Rantoul MSA (Champaign County), 5.3 percent, 5.8 percent.
Chicago PMSA (Cook, DuPage and McHenry counties), 7.7 percent, 8.6 percent.
Davenport-Rock Island-Moline MSA, Illinois portion (Henry and Rock Island counties), 8.3 percent, 9.0 percent.
Decatur MSA (Macon County), 9.8 percent, 11.5 percent.
Joliet PMSA (Grundy and Will counties), 8.6 percent, 9.5 percent.
Kankakee MSA (Kankakee County), 8.7 percent, 9.8 percent.
Lake County PMSA, 4.8 percent, 5.5 percent.
Peoria MSA (Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties), 7.5 percent, 8.1 percent.
Rockford MSA(Boone and Winnebago counties), 9.1 percent, 10.0 percent.
Springfield MSA (Menard and Sangamon counties), 5.2 percent, 6.3 percent.
St. Louis MSA, Illinois portion (Clinton, Jersey, Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties), 8.5 percent, 9.7 percent.

Source: Same as above.
Michael D. klemens and Margaret S. Knoepfle

August & September 1992/Illinois Issues/57


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