2025 State of the Workforce Event Shows Strong Outlook

Hosted by Lake County Workforce Development, the Job Center of Lake County, and Lake County Partners, the 2025 “State of the Workforce” event, held January 29, offered valuable insights into the economic and workforce future of Lake County.

Jeff Hubert, Business Services Project Lead with Lake County Workforce Development, noted that Lake County experienced a 5.8% wage growth, outpacing national trends. It was an indication of economic strength, he said, while also underscoring, “the need to align wages with rising livings costs.”

Ronald Lanz, Business Development Director at Lake County Partners, shared that 2024 was a strong year for Lake County and the region, while unemployment was down slightly from the same period a year ago.

Lake County’s two strongest industries, technology and life sciences, held steady, with an expectation for growth in 2025.

The transportation, distribution and logistics industry experienced a 4.3% increase over 2023, while the manufacturing sector saw a 1% increase. Lake County has also been a “very strong” warehousing location, Lanz said, with expansions into the western and central parts of the county.

Since 2020, Lake County has seen $1.3 billion in new capital investments, Lanz said, aiding in the retention of nearly 5,000 jobs, and the creation of over 4,600 new ones. In 2024 alone, roughly 1,200 jobs were created or retained, he said.

Click here to read the full article from the Chicago Tribune.