Five years after enduring a deep recession, the Illinois economy is once again generating jobs. But the current economic recovery poses a paradox: Where economic expansion has historically been accompanied by falling poverty rates, state expenditures on public benefits programs to help working families make ends meet have been growing. Because many of the jobs being created pay wages too low to support families, year-round workers are turning to public-support programs to make ends meet. This public support for year-round workers and their families is the hidden cost of low-wage
2006
An Evaluation of Illinois' JTED Program
This report presents findings from an evaluation of Job Training and Economic Development (JTED), an innovative program unique to Illinois that fosters community-business partnerships for economic and workforce development. Started in 1998 and administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), JTED provides grants to community based organizations (CBOs) to support training programs developed in partnership with local businesses to serve low-income job seekers and low-wage incumbent workers.
On the Corner: Day Labor in the United States
This report profiles, for the first time, the national phenomenon of day labor in the United
States. Men and women looking for employment in open-air markets by the side of the road, at
busy intersections, in front of home improvement stores and in other public spaces are ubiquitous
in cities across the nation. The circumstances that give rise to this labor market are complex and
poorly understood. In this report, data is analyzed from the National Day Labor Survey, the first
systematic and scientific study of the day-labor sector and its workforce in the United States.