The construction of an ethanol plant could create many Illinois construction jobs, as well as some other permanent jobs.

The State of Illinois recently announced that Illinois River Energy, LLC has received a $4 million Renewable Fuels Development grant through the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to help build a new ethanol production facility in Northern Illinois. The company, which is based in Ogle County, estimates the facility will cost more than $120 million to build and will create 120 construction jobs and 40 permanent jobs, as well as support the state’s drive for energy independence.

“By investing in ethanol and other renewable fuels, we are increasing our energy independence, creating jobs and helping to secure Illinois’ future,” Governor Rod R. Blagojevich said in a press release. “This new ethanol plant represents the next generation of ethanol production in Illinois – using less energy while producing less carbon emissions – and will be one of the cleanest and most efficient facilities in the country.”

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Hundreds of Illinois law enforcement jobs are in question as a union and the State of Illinois are at legal odds with one another.

The Illinois Department of Corrections is planning to close the Pontiac Correctional Center by the end of the year, a move that could eliminate 570 jobs and save $4 million per year. However, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees recently filed a lawsuit against the IDOC to stop it from closing the facility and cutting jobs. According to an article by the Fort Mill Times, the prison is the town’s second-largest employer.

The state plans to move inmates from Pontiac, which is a maximum-security prison, to smaller prisons not built to handle maximum-security prisoners. Many of Pontiac’s 1,600 prisoners have been reclassified from medium-security to minimum-security and transfered to minimum-security prisons such as the Vienna Correctional Center in Johnson County and other prisons in Moline and Taylorville. Half of the inmates will be moved to a prison in Thomson.

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A recent plan to relocate Illinois construction jobs has found itself in court.

Opponents of a plan to relocate 150 construction jobs with the Illinois Department of Transportation from Springfield to southern Illinois will be in court next week in an effort to prevent the state from spending excess money on the move. Springfield Attorney Don Craven is asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction that would temporarily prevent Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes or Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias from allocating any money in connection with the jobs move.

According to an article by the Journal Star, the prohibition would remain in place until Attorney General Lisa Madigan acts on the administration’s plan to buy half of a former Wal-Mart building in Harrisburg to house the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety. Madigan must sign off on the purchase before it can take place.

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One of the world’s largest makers of automobile exhaust systems is cutting Illinois manufacturing jobs.

Tenneco Inc. has announced its plans to cut 1,100 jobs and close four North American plants and an engineering center in Australia to reduce costs. The moves are expected to save about $64 million annually per year, according to an article by Bloomberg. This announcement comes despite a state plan to increase manufacturing jobs.

The company plans to have charges of as much as $60 million, $25 million of which will be posted this quarter. Tenneco said it eliminated 760 jobs in North America and 365 in Europe earlier this year, as jobs in the state as a whole have been declining.

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A new plan could help create Illinois manufacturing jobs.

Illinois House Republicans recently met with the owners of Dial Machine, a manufacturing company based in Rochford, Ill., to discuss a state capital plan. As manufacturing jobs in the state have been decreasing, the plan would support small businesses and create high-paying jobs to help revitalize the area, according to an article by WREX.

“We would create between 500 and 700 thousand new jobs and these would be high paying jobs because we need to repair our bridges our roads, our schools,” Ron Wait, (R) District 69 State Rep. Incumbent, said in the article.

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Illinois banking jobs, as well as other small business jobs, could be protected by a new proposal to invest money into state banks.

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias recently introduced a plan to invest $1 billion in Illinois state banks, which would provide needed cash for borrowers to help avoid a credit crisis, help level the state during the current financial crisis and make sure jobs stay local.

According to an article by The Associated Press, the money will be made available to interest-bearing bank accounts by shifting it from lower-yielding investments. Making money available to state banks will help keep bank workers employed, as well as help keep those who have taken out loans for their own businesses employed.

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Whether you’re a freshman just starting out or a senior ready to graduate, you have one thing in common: internships are important.

Western Illinois University has recognized the need for students to obtain meaningful internships so they can go on to obtain meaningful Illinois jobs. The University has a Career Services Web site that helps students find the right internship, according to an article by the Western Courier. The site has many links to help students get started and find internships.

“Students should look for a place that gives them relative experience for their field of study and learning opportunities,” Renee Sprock, assistant director of Career Services, said in the article. “They should also think about geographical location as far as where they want to work after they graduate.”

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A new plan could help create Illinois jobs.

The unemployment rate in Illinois increased by .4 percent from July to August. With the national and local economy lagging, the state is hoping to construct a jobs plan, according to an article by the Daily Eastern News.

“In these financially difficult times, when national economic instability is hurting our Illinois workers, it is evident that Illinois needs a statewide comprehensive jobs plan,” Maureen O’Donnell, director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, said in the article.

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More people are being left without Illinois jobs.

During August, Illinois had an unemployment rate of 7.3 percent, up from 7.2 percent in July. This is the state’s highest unemployment rate since September 1993, when unemployment reached 7.5 percent, according to a press release from the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The number of unemployed people in the state increased to 491,500, the fourth month in a row this number increased, and its highest since June 1992.

“In these financially difficult times, when national economic instability is hurting our Illinois workers, it is evident that Illinois needs a statewide comprehensive jobs plan,” IDES Director Maureen O’Donnell said in the press release. “The proposed jobs bill would create work for hundreds of thousands of people in Illinois, absorb the effects of job losses and positively impact our economy.”

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As of late, jobs in Illinois aren’t growing, and the state is lagging behind others in many facets.

In July 2008, Illinois had a total non-farm employment of 5,979,600, the same as last year, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Illinois Chamber of Commerce recently hired GrowthEconomics to create an Illinois Economic Competitiveness Scorecard to stack the Illinois economy amongst that of other states. The report found Illinois fell from sixth to 16th in per capita income, from 10th to 13th in gross domestic product and the state ranked 49 out of 50 for its regulatory environment.

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