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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Although the industry is currently losing workers, IT jobs in Illinois are expected to grow through 2014.

During July 2008, Illinois‘ information industry employed a total of 115,800 workers, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, a decrease of .5 percent.

Illinois’ information technology industry is expected to grow faster than the statewide average for all industries through 2014, according to an article by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. This is mostly due to the fact that organizations will continue to integrate increasingly sophisticated technology.

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Illinois government jobs are expected to grow slowly during the near future.

In July 2008, Illinois‘ government industry employed 848,100 people, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the same as last year.

Budget constraints at all federal and state levels of government are expected to cause employment in the the state’s government industry to increase at a slower rate than the average for all industries through 2014, according to an article by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

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Illinois manufacturing jobs are on a downward spiral, and the industry is expected to continue to decrease.

Illinois‘ manufacturing industry employed 669,400 people in July 2008, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, a decrease of .8 percent from last year.

Employment in Illinois’ manufacturing industry is expected to decline through 2014, according to an article by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Manufacturing layoffs in aging industries are expected to be partially offset by job gains in those industries in which Illinois has a competitive advantage.

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The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration recently released a study concluding that high-impact firms create the most Illinois jobs and growth.

Of the 376,604 high-impact firms nationwide, 13,443 are located in Illinois. That means 2.21 percent of all Illinois firms are high-impact firms. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois employed a total of 5,993,900 people in June 2008, a .1 percent increase from last year.

In the study, a high-impact firm is defined as one whose sales have at least doubled over a four-year period and whose employment has a growth quantifier of two or more. A growth quantifier is defined as the firm’s absolute change in employment multiplied by the percent change.

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If you love animals, or are considering a career in medicine but don’t know what path to take, perhaps you should consider a veterinarian job in Illinois.

According to an article from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the need for veterinarians is expected to grow.

In Illinois and throughout the country, employment of veterinarians is expected to grow faster than average through 2010.

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If you are looking for an Illinois job, or currently have one, you should know the state’s minimum wage recently increased.

At the beginning of this month, the State of Illinois’ minimum wage increased to $7.75 per hour. The extra money is expected to help more than 650,000 workers cope with the rising cost of living and pay for basic necessities.

In December 2006, according to a press release from the State of Illinois, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich raised the state’s minimum wage to $7.50, and set a plan in motion to add an additional 25 cents to the minimum wage for the next three years, ending at $8.25 in July 2010.

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