Posted by Heidi Schwartz
Amazon.com, Inc. has announced plans to create more than 1,000 full-time jobs and $75 million in investment in Illinois. Amazon is beginning site selection activities and it plans to open its first facility in Illinois next year.
“Illinois is leading the Midwest in job creation and Amazon will strengthen that growth by delivering 1,000 new jobs to our state,” Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said.
“With our top-notch transportation network and skilled workforce, Illinois has much to offer innovative companies seeking to expand their operations, especially those, like Amazon, seeking to serve their customers in the most populous state in the Midwest,” Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said. “It’s been my pleasure to work closely with Amazon on my Marketplace Fairness Act, and I couldn’t be more pleased that the company has chosen to make this substantial investment in our state, announcing 1,000 jobs with good benefits right off the bat and an opportunity to expand in the future.”
“We thank Gov. Quinn and Senator Durbin for their leadership, and we’re thrilled to create in Illinois more than 1,000 full-time jobs and $75 million in investment,” said Paul Misener, Amazon vice president, global public policy. “The state of Illinois has an excellent workforce, and we’re excited to roll up our sleeves and find the right locations, break ground, and start hiring.”
Amazon plans to begin creating new full-time jobs in Illinois starting next year and reaching at least 1,000 jobs in 2017.
Amazon’s announcement comes amid fresh federal data showing the strength of Illinois’ economic comeback. The state’s unemployment rate in September fell to 6.6 percent, the seventh straight monthly decline and the lowest in more than six years. In the last 12 months, the state’s unemployment rate has fallen from 9.1 percent, the largest year-over-year decline in the nation.
The latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that Illinois led the Midwest in job growth last month, adding 19,300 positions. Illinois now has gained more than 300,000 private sector jobs since February 2010, when the employment market here began to rebound from the recession.
