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Monday, June 11, 2018

The future of work in Springfield

73,500 (63 percent) of people working in Springfield earn less than $15 per hour before payroll deductions, This represents a gross economic distribution of over two billion dollars, more than half of which has already been captured by landlords.

It's common knowledge that the workforce in Springfield, Illinois is mostly state, county, municipal and the health care industry. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has specific data up to May 2017.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has a database of Workforce Availability for Sangamon County (Total Population: 198,639). Springfield proper has around 115,715 (according to Google), The BLS shows the population of Springfield with jobs at 106,710, Leaving approximately 9005 people unemployed. This doesn't include children, the infirm or the elderly because we're looking at the eligible workforce according to IDES, so who are these 9005 people who are apparently not working?

The "official" unemployment rate reported is 5.5%, Where is the other 4 to 5 percent? They fell through the cracks. It gets worse.

Around seven to ten percent of the population in Springfield are out of work. That seems like a relatively small number. but the uncounted here are the unemployed within Sangamon County, outside the limits of Springfield, as well as people whose unemployment benefits have expired while still out of work..
If this doesn't make things worse, according to Rent Jungle, the average rent increased by 5.19% from last year in Springfield.

Local entrepreneurs will have a problem serving the upper class if they can't find employees who are willing to work while homeless.

Let me repeat the first paragraph: 73,500 (63 percent) of people in Springfield earn less than $15 per hour before payroll deductions, This represents a gross economic distribution of over two billion dollars, more than half of which has already been captured by landlords.