For the fourth consecutive quarter, Illinois has had the highest African-American unemployment rate in the country, with 14.2 percent of African-Americans without a job. (Photo courtesy of Think Progress)

For the fourth consecutive quarter, Illinois has had the highest African-American unemployment rate in the country, with 14.2 percent of African-Americans without a job. Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said poor options available for education are a reason why the unemployment rate is so high.

“One thing that leads to unemployment is a lack of education so I think we need a new education policy,” Ives said. “An education policy that really works and that is conducive to the jobs that are out there.”

Education has to improve, according to Ives.

“We’ve got to (get) better technical education, even at the high school level,” Ives said. “I don’t think you see enough of that in the city of Chicago where we do have a large percentage of African-Americans. I don’t think you see kids getting the right type of training, even at the community college level.”

Ives stated that she has always been a supporter of having choices in education.

“I’ve always been a proponent of educational choice and I think that that will lead to a lot better results and we’ve got to start it early,” Ives said.

Ives said that the state will continue to worsen if people are not able to work.

“When you don’t have people that are employed and you don’t have the tax base to provide for the services, then it just gets worse as more people flee that type of an environment and that lack of opportunity,” Ives said.

Illinois shouldn’t in this category, Ives concluded.

“I’m saddened more than anything by the fact that we have the highest black unemployment in the nation,” Ives said. “We should be leaders in the employment of every race or gender, but to be leading in this category, it’s troublesome.”

— African-American unemployment rate soars in Illinois —