Economics professor Dr. Elizabeth Powers recently contributed to a report that analyzed policies for work protection across the state of Illinois from the University of Illinois System Institute of Government and Public Affairs. The report highlights variations in worker protections across the state and emphasizes expanding protections to better align state policy with a shifting labor market.
As labor markets have evolved in recent decades, federal laws protecting workers have changed little. The federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 since 2009, and no federal requirements exist for paid sick leave. Meanwhile, the rise of precarious, part-time, and gig work—now comprising 25–35% of the workforce—has left many workers without benefits, predictability, or job security (Katz & Krueger, 2019). Precarious work disproportionately affects women, racial/ethnic minorities, and those with lower educational attainment, and is associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes (Hajat et al., 2024; Oddo et al., 2021). In the absence of federal action, some states and municipalities have stepped in. This Policy Spotlight discusses actions taken by states and localities to regulate employment practices, with particular attention to the state of Illinois, Cook County, and the city of Chicago.