Economics and the Economy

"The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy."

IDES describes itself as "your direct link to Illinois workforce services: job placement and referrals, unemployment insurance, employment and training programs, career and labor market information, payroll tax filing, and more!"

Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Illinois workNet facilitates access to workforce development resources for individuals, businesses, and workforce professionals.

"The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of households conducted by the Bureau of Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides a comprehensive body of data on the labor force, employment, unemployment, persons not in the labor force, hours of work, earnings, and other demographic and labor force characteristics."

Illinois Career and Labor Market Information​, a service of the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), provides local and regional employment statistics, job forecasts, wage information, as well as demographic characteristics of the employed and unemployed.

Published every two years, the Occupational Outlook Handbook provides information to people making decisions about their future work lives, including training and education needed, earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions in a variety of occupations.