The recent recession caused major jobloss for this region but there is light at the end of the tunnel now as we are starting to see some of those jobs return.  According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security the average number of jobs in 2009 was at a five year low of 178,300.  As of May 2010 the average for the year was 183,940.  While it is slow going, we are seeing growth and that is positive news. 
The four main growth sectors we have identified for the region include Logistics, Manufacturing, Healthcare and Technology.  These four industries are showing growth right now and indicators point to a strong recovery.  Logistics has added an average of 2,000 jobs so far in 2010 and manufacturing has added an average of 4,000.