After the Recession: Employment Status and Earnings Recovery of Illinois Workers
by Rich Reinhold
In a previous article published in the Illinois Labor Market Review, we examined the growth in longterm unemployment in Illinois during the economic expansion that followed the last recession, sometimes called the "Great Recession" (see http://tinyurl.com/Illinoislaborforcetrends). This article takes a closer look at the postrecovery employment and earnings of workers who were displaced in the Great Recession. It address questions like: Were particular kinds of workers able to find jobs sooner than others? What types of workers were able to recover the highest and lowest percentage of their previous earnings? Did most workers find employment in the industries in which they lost their jobs or did they find jobs in different industries?
