3,600+ Laid Off in Illinois in First 90 Days of 2026

The first three months of the year are nearly complete and the job numbers in Illinois already reveal that more than 3,600 have lost their jobs in the first 90 days alone.

Here are the numbers from the Illinois Work Center site. It states that 3,695 have been laid off in the past 90 days. The breakdown by county shows the parts of Illinois impacted the hardest.

The state of Illinois has also revealed which industries have been hit the hardest with layoffs. Manufacturing facilities are at the top of the list. The health care industry has also experienced drastic job loss in 2026.

According to the Illinois Work Net site, there are 1,019 who have become unemployed in the past 30 days. If you look at the unemployment numbers for the past 12 months, the number of those laid off is a staggering 16,196. It's important to note that these are just the businesses who are large enough to require a WARN notice when employees are being let go. The overall numbers for Illinois are likely much higher than what's listed on the state's job site.