In an attempt to fix a $420 million hole in the state’s budget, many with Illinois jobs working for the government will be laid off. State Treasure Alexi Giannoulias recently announced that his office had no other option than layoffs and salary freezes to mend the state’s financial problems.

There is some concern that doing this will only hurt the state even more. Since fewer individuals will be employed, the amount of payroll taxes collected will decrease. On top of this, workers effected will not be spending as much money, which will result in the state receiving less money in sales taxes.

In Chicago, almost every state employee at the Thompson Center is expected to be effected by the budget cut. Even those who do not stand to lose their jobs will either be victim to a decreased salary, a greater work load or both.

On a state level, at the Illinois Treasure’s Office there is already a salary freeze in effect. All employees that are not part of a union have been told that they must take two days off of work without pay.

As of now, the only government officials who are safe are those that work for Cook County. Because of the hike in sales tax last Spring, Board President Todd Stroger has more than enough money to meet the demands of his payroll, which is extremely beneficial for the area considering that the majority of new hires made this year in Cook County were doctors and nurses.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan has suggested that early retirement should go into effect for eligible employees along with the salary and hiring freeze. So far, her office ahs already taken a 25 percent reduction in its budget.

According to some reports, as many as 1,000 Illinois jobs cut get the ax. Some officials have suggest having police officers and firefighters take a leave of absence to aid in saving money, but the city has no plans at this time to layoff any of these individuals.

Labels: Illinois Jobs