July 16, 2025
By Lily Padula
Over the past three decades, the Illinois state government's personnel levels have undergone notable shifts, shaped by economic cycles, policy changes, and evolving administrative practices. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions authorized through the state budget process peaked at about 70,000 in FY2001, before steadily declining to a low of 51,876 in FY2016. Since then, the state has begun to reverse course, with budgeted positions rising to 60,588 in FY2025 and projected to reach 61,101 in FY2026.
These fluctuations reflect a complex story, not just of fiscal constraints and recovery, but also of how the State of Illinois has managed —and sometimes struggled —to maintain a stable workforce. A notable trend is a persistently high difference between budgeted and filled positions (vacancy rate), especially since FY2020. Despite recent increases in budgeted positions, the number of filled positions has lagged. For example, in FY2022, over 7,000 positions were vacant, representing a vacancy rate of 12.3%. FY2023 showed a similar gap, with more than 7,700 vacant positions and a record-high vacancy rate of 13.3%. FY2024 showed a reduction in the vacancy rate to 8.6%, but with more than 5,000 positions still vacant, the number of unfilled positions remains elevated compared to national pre-COVID averages.
This data raises several critical questions, not just about hiring difficulties, but about broader operational practices and expectations:
- Why has Illinois experienced higher-than-average vacancy rates in recent years?
- To what extent are vacancies driven by factors including high turnover, hiring process delays, or inefficiencies?
- Are vacancies being used as de facto budget buffers?
- What are the actual staffing needs required to deliver critical government services, and how are they measured?
This report provides a comprehensive overview of Illinois' long-term state workforce trends. It examines episodic shocks, such as the early 2000s recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as more recent, ongoing efforts to modernize hiring systems, professionalize state employment, and enhance recruitment and retention. Yet, in the aggregate, key questions remain unanswered: What should the staffing baseline be? What performance metrics guide appropriations? And how do persistent vacancies affect the capacity of government to deliver on its obligations?
Understanding these patterns and their consequences is essential for developing a more accountable and effective public workforce. Long-term stability will require more than budgeting positions: it will demand clearer expectations, better data, and sustained attention to how the state recruits, retains, and supports the people delivering essential services.
In FY2003, the state government workforce, as measured by filled positions, was 59,332. At its lowest point in FY2017, the number of filled positions had fallen by 17.5% to 48,970. By FY2024, it had risen by 4,889, or approximately 10%, to 53,860.
Based on the annual averages of filled positions from FY2014 to FY2024, the agency areas that make up the largest portion of the state workforce budgeted and filled positions are human services (40.08%), public safety (30.26%), and economic development (10.80%). Between FY2016 and FY2024, average vacancy rates were highest in government services (16.09%), followed by economic development (10.10%), and education (7.82%).
Key Causes Behind Vacant Positions
The differences between filled positions and budgeted positions are the result of a complex web of factors, some structural, others circumstantial, that have made it difficult for the state to fully staff its agencies. Persistent vacancies stem from long-standing hiring limitations, budgetary constraints, and outdated personnel systems, which have been compounded in recent years by intensified competition in the labor market, an aging workforce, and shifting workforce expectations following the pandemic.
In 2023, as the COVID-19 pandemic waned, 13% of Illinois state government jobs remained vacant, with the greatest shortfall in the public safety and healthcare sectors. While some level of vacancy is normal and expected in a large workforce, persistent vacancies above historical norms, especially in critical areas, can strain service delivery and erode institutional capacity over time. Recent staffing trends reflect a combination of factors, including broader labor market dynamics and the long-term effects of more than two decades of workforce reductions and hiring constraints. From 2020 to 2022 alone, Illinois experienced a 2% decline in its state workforce, resulting in more than 1,000 fewer full-time employees serving in public protection and justice roles, including the Illinois State Police and the Department of Corrections. Although further analysis is needed to determine the precise impacts of the pandemic, the timing and nature of these reductions suggest a period of heightened vulnerability in the state’s ability to meet essential public needs.
The Dot-Com Bubble Burst, 9/11, and Early 2000s Recession
The early 2000s marked a turning point for Illinois’ personnel levels, following the burst of the dot-com bubble, an economic downturn, and the aftermath of 9/11, which triggered layoffs, high unemployment, and revenue shortfalls. In 2002, there were over 6,000 mass layoff events in Illinois across all sectors, not just in state personnel. This, coupled with a slowdown in economic activity, resulted in reduced income, sales, and corporate tax collections. As the recession hit, Illinois saw revenues fall over $1.6 billion short of what had been projected for FY2002. This was a dramatic reversal from the growth of the late 1990s. These declining revenues compelled the state to implement budget cuts, which in turn affected hiring and retention efforts for state personnel.
Early Retirement Incentive
In July 2002, the state workforce consisted of 86,406 individuals, according to SERS. That same year, the state implemented an Early Retirement Incentive (ERI) program designed primarily to avoid nearly 7,000 layoffs amid severe budget pressures following the early 2000s recession and the dot-com bubble burst. The program prompted 11,039 retirements in the SERS system, exceeding the initial estimate of 7,365. By April 2006, the number of filled positions had declined to 70,892, representing an 18% decrease. While the ERI delivered immediate fiscal relief with estimated savings of $64.5 million in FY2003 and $184.3 million in FY2004, subsequent retirement and cost-saving programs (such as ARCP and CLSIP) extended those reductions well into the following decade, entrenching vacancy rates in many agencies.
The Great Recession
The 2008 recession had a profound and lasting impact on employment in the state of Illinois. Statewide employment fell sharply, reaching its lowest point by January 2010, 9.3% below 2006 levels. The state workforce was similarly affected: filled positions decreased by 5.6%, or approximately 3,155 personnel, while budgeted positions declined by 7.7%, resulting in a loss of nearly 4,515 budgeted positions. These reductions reflected both the state's diminished capacity to fund its workforce and the broader contraction in labor demand across the economy.
Compounding the employment challenges was a steep decline in general funds revenue, which fell by $2.6 billion, or 8.7%, between FY2008 and FY2010. Individual income tax collections declined by 15.7% ($1.8 billion), corporate income taxes by 25.1% ($552 million), and sales tax revenues by 12.6% ($907 million). Mirroring the fiscal strain of the early 2000s recession, the state faced reduced economic activity and lagging tax collections, which in turn forced significant budget cuts. These fiscal pressures curtailed hiring and retention efforts across state agencies, exacerbating workforce shortages.
2010-2015
As budget deficits mounted, Illinois pursued multiple cost-containment strategies that reduced headcounts across agencies. Legal battles, political negotiations, and a shrinking tax base amplified the effects of these decisions, compounding the state’s workforce challenges. The state government implemented emergency cost-saving actions, including the closure of state facilities such as museums. These closures were intended to reduce payroll expenses and were accompanied by plans for layoffs across multiple state agencies. While some layoffs were delayed by union legal action, the overall intent and effect of these closures was a reduction in state personnel. The state’s largest government worker union, AFSCME, was engaged in contentious contract negotiations, with the Quinn administration seeking to limit automatic pay raises and other costly benefits, further pressuring workforce levels. Illinois also faced persistent economic challenges, including high property taxes and costly workers’ compensation policies. These factors contributed to job losses and out-migration, shrinking the state’s population and tax base, which in turn limited the resources available to maintain or grow state personnel.
2015-2017 Budget Impasse
The State’s personnel levels steadily declined before reaching their all-time low in 2016, during the budget impasse, when Illinois went over two years without a comprehensive state budget due to political stalemate. The 2015-2017 budget impasse negatively impacted Illinois’ ability to expand its state workforce. Agencies were largely restricted to court-ordered funding at prior-year levels, effectively freezing hiring and forcing cuts to essential services. While jobs in healthcare and social assistance grew modestly during this time, driven by federal consent decrees and program mandates, Illinois’ broader labor market stagnated, exacerbating competition for skilled workers and deepening the state’s workforce shortages.
These overlapping policies and fiscal crises have created a “vacancy trap,” where short-term headcount reductions and hiring freezes yield immediate budget savings but also result in long-term operational challenges, particularly in high-turnover, high-demand sectors such as public safety and healthcare. The ERI established a precedent for using retirement incentives as a budgetary tool; however, the prolonged recovery that followed highlighted the risks of reducing workforce capacity without a clear plan for reinvestment. Similarly, the budget impasse exposed systemic weaknesses in workforce planning during times of fiscal stress, leaving lasting gaps in institutional knowledge and service delivery capacity.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly deepened existing labor shortages across many sectors in Illinois, particularly in essential sectors such as healthcare and social services. As demand for services surged, many frontline workers faced unsustainable workloads, increased health risks, and emotional exhaustion. Burnout has become widespread, prompting labor shortages across various sectors. Staffing challenges were especially acute in areas where workers were required to remain on-site during the height of the pandemic, including mental health facilities, long-term care centers, and correctional institutions.
At the same time, Illinois experienced a broader contraction of its labor force. Between 2020 and 2022, thousands of working-age residents left the state, while others transitioned to private-sector roles offering higher pay, more flexibility, or remote work options. This workforce outflow compounded the state’s hiring challenges, as agencies were forced to compete for talent in an increasingly limited and competitive job market. By early 2023, Illinois continued to lag behind the national average in job recovery, despite having significant growth potential.
These overlapping pressures placed a considerable strain on public service delivery, underscoring the importance of long-term workforce planning. Without enough qualified staff, many state agencies struggled to meet rising demand, from processing unemployment claims to delivering behavioral health care, highlighting the vulnerability of critical systems during times of crisis. The pandemic ultimately accelerated preexisting trends, exposing structural weaknesses and forcing a reckoning with how the state recruits, retains, and supports its workforce.
Competition with the Private Sector
Illinois’ public sector faces significant challenges in attracting and retaining talent, primarily due to compensation disparities with the private sector. Traditionally, government positions are lower-paid than comparable private sector positions, but they come with much better benefits packages, including comprehensive health insurance and pension plans. However, in recent years, many workers have shifted their priorities toward higher pay, making private sector opportunities more appealing. This shift has intensified recruitment and retention challenges for state agencies, particularly in critical areas such as public safety and healthcare.
Complicating matters further, the state’s ability to swiftly adjust salaries to remain competitive is constrained by union agreements and regulatory frameworks. As a result, even when state agencies recognize the need for higher wages to attract qualified candidates, they may face procedural hurdles that delay or prevent timely salary adjustments.
Structural Issues
Illinois continues to face a persistent skills gap that hinders the state agencies' ability to fill critical vacancies, even when job seekers are actively seeking employment. Many of the most in-demand public sector roles—particularly in fields such as information technology, skilled trades, healthcare, and finance—require specialized training or credentials that a significant portion of the workforce lacks. According to Illinois’ Unified State Plan under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the disconnect between workforce capabilities and employer needs has made it difficult to align job seekers with available positions in both the public and private sectors. Broader demographic and migration trends compound this challenge. Declining net migration to Illinois over the past decade has further reduced the state's available labor pool, making it harder for Illinois to recruit the workers it needs.
Taken together, the skills mismatch and shrinking labor supply pose long-term risks to state operations. Without a stronger pipeline of qualified workers and strategic investments in upskilling, Illinois may continue to struggle with staffing shortfalls in key government functions. Addressing this will require sustained collaboration between public agencies, educational institutions, and workforce development organizations to better prepare residents for the evolving demands of public service careers.
Retention and Recruitment Efforts
In August 2022, Governor JB Pritzker formally acknowledged the ongoing staffing challenges and announced targeted initiatives to strengthen hiring and workforce development across state agencies. In response, the State has launched a series of modernization efforts aimed at improving efficiency, professionalizing its workforce, and stabilizing recruitment and retention.
Statewide Recruitment Campaigns
In response to this staffing crisis, the Pritzker administration launched a series of targeted recruitment efforts aimed at filling critical public sector roles, particularly in corrections, healthcare, and social services. Recognizing the urgent need for direct care staff in state mental health centers, veterans’ homes, and facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities, the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) was directed to implement a statewide recruiting campaign on an emergency basis. These efforts included expanded virtual job fairs, as well as enhanced collaboration with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), and local workforce agencies. By leveraging these partnerships and platforms, the state sought to broaden its applicant pool and attract qualified candidates to essential, hard-to-fill positions.
Streamlining Hiring Processes
As part of its broader workforce modernization efforts, the State of Illinois has implemented a revamped electronic application system to streamline the hiring process and make it more accessible to job seekers. The new system enables applicants to search for and apply to state positions entirely online, making it significantly easier to navigate job opportunities across various agencies. This user-friendly platform, accessible via work.illinois.gov, is designed to reduce barriers to entry, improve transparency in the hiring process, and expand the state’s reach to a wider pool of qualified candidates. By embracing digital tools, the state aims to better compete with private-sector employers and modernize its recruitment approach.
Retention Strategies
To combat high turnover and chronic vacancies in critical 24/7 state-run facilities, the Pritzker administration introduced a series of emergency retention measures targeting roles with particularly high attrition rates. The CMS was tasked with assessing and implementing strategies such as retention bonuses and the allocation of specialized resources to stabilize staffing in mental health centers, veterans’ homes, and correctional institutions. Recognizing the significant financial and operational costs associated with high turnover, the state also accelerated re-hiring programs, including efforts by the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to bring back former corrections officers who had separated from service within the past 18 months. To further streamline hiring, the state reduced training time for certified returning officers from eight weeks to three.
In addition to these emergency initiatives, Illinois has expanded a range of support and development programs designed to improve employee retention and career growth across the state workforce. The Upward Mobility Program (UMP), developed in partnership with AFSCME, offers career counseling and direct-paid educational opportunities to help employees transition into higher-paying, more challenging roles. Other efforts include CMS University, a professional development platform offering curated training sessions, and Be Well Illinois, a comprehensive wellness initiative launched in 2021. To attract and retain workers, the state has also bolstered voluntary benefits through the MyBenefits Plus and Purchasing Power programs, while offering digital support and resources tailored to employees’ needs reflects a broad, multi-pronged approach to building a more resilient and engaged public workforce.
Diversity and Outreach Initiatives
To advance workforce equity and better reflect the diversity of Illinois’ population, the Bureau of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) within CMS has strengthened its outreach and recruitment efforts in collaboration with community-based advisory councils. Working alongside the Governor’s Office of Equity and the African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American Employment Advisory Councils, the Bureau has engaged directly with underrepresented communities across the state. These advisory groups, comprised of local leaders and activists, have helped guide targeted recruitment strategies and shape inclusive hiring practices. Over the past two years, CMS has hosted or participated in more than 69 outreach and recruitment events, signaling a sustained commitment to increasing representation and access to state employment opportunities.
Conclusion
While recent initiatives are showing signs of progress, it is still too early to determine whether the Pritzker Administration's reforms to improve workforce stability and capacity will achieve their intended impact, both in terms of recovering from post-pandemic staffing disruptions and responding to ongoing labor market uncertainty. Addressing stubborn vacancy rates, especially in critical service areas, will require continued modernization of hiring systems, competitive compensation, and clearer pathways into public service to deliver effective and equitable services statewide.