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Submitted By the Illinois Department of Employment Security

According to national data recently updated and released as partof the Census Bureaus American Community Survey, median annu-al wages for women employed in private industry were 76 percent of those earned by men. If this simple comparison is replicated forKankakee County (see Table: Kankakee County 2000-2007 Employ-ment and Wage Comparison by Gender), employment and wage datadiscloses that the median wages of females are 61 percent of thoseearned by males. (Please note: Monthly wage levels have not beenadjusted for inflation to current dollars.) Of additional interest:

In those industries where wage levels are comparatively high,men hold far more positions than women, e.g., Construction and

Manufacturing.Conversely, women hold the majority of the employment in

industries such as Education, Healthcare and Social Assistance, and Accommodation and Hospitality where wage levels are more

modest.In Retail Trade, a very significant wage disparity exists in spite of approximate equal employment levels.

Given these statistics, it has become increasingly important foremployers to understand the role women play in our workforce.The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), led byDirector Maureen T. ODonnell, regularly holds employer work-shops and job fairs during which the agency provides informationon the valuable skills candidates of all backgrounds includingminority, disabled, veteran or formerly incarcerated can bring tothe workplace.

IDES offers a host of employment services to help all job seekerslook for new work, plan a career change, refine resumes or obtainassistance with re-training and workforce development partners.

With nearly 60 locations throughout the state, local IDES officesand Illinois workNet Centers are the primary one-stop sources forworkforce development services.

Employment Services offered atno cost to the individual:

Illinois Skills Match: www.illinoisskillsmatch.comI Internet-based job matching systemI Illinois employers enter job openings and requirementsI Job seekers register and enter their precise skills and experienceI Job database matches employee requirements with job seekers

skills and notifies both parties in case of an interview I A great job resource for veterans, students / teens, any new or re-

entrants to the labor forceI Take advantage of assistance from your local IDES Employment

Service Representatives.

Illinois workNet (in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development (DCEO)):www.illinoisworknet.comI For individuals: Plan for your career and job search, find a job or

change jobs, learn about careers, improve your education, connectto work support services and contact career advisors for assistance.

I For employers: Illinois workNet provides businesses with thetools to recruit the best employees, to train and upgrade the skillsof your current workforce, and to develop your business with arange of resources for entrepreneurs and established firms. Com-panies can search for talent, find training resources, locate infor-mation for managing their businesses, and connect with businessservice representatives.

One Source Workforce & Career Information:www.ilworkinfo.comI Internet-based career information tool career changers can

explore new employment opportunitiesI Research individual careers through occupational videosI Explore salary/wage rates throughout the stateI Review occupations with the most openings, including the largest

local employersI Match your interests to careersI CIS describes 500 occupations including job outlook, regional

wage data, and requirements to enter the field.I Information on Programs of Study explains required training and

schools offering courses in Illinois.I Check financial aid information for available loans, grants and

scholarships.

Veterans ServicesIDES and our partner agencies have a variety of resources that

can help veterans find jobs and transition back to the civilian work force. Veterans Employment Representatives are available at eachof our Illinois workNet Centers to help veterans access IDESemployment services and information on Hire Vets First, Transition

Assistance and Training programs.

Re-entry Service ProgramRESP prepares formerly incarcerated people for work, develops

jobs for them, and helps them transition into their new jobs. Re-entry Liaisons are available at IDES Illinois workNet Centers andlocal offices throughout Illinois to help match employers with qual-ified formerly incarcerated job seekers. Launched in 2005, RESP isled by a management team which provides technical assistance andtraining to IDES staff on best practices in the employment of theformerly incarcerated.

Workshops and Job Fairs, held regularly for job seekers andemployers

To contact the nearest office or Illinois workNet Center, or towork directly with an Employment Service or Job Training repre-sentative, call 888.367.4382, TDD: 312.793.3184. For informationon all services offered by IDES please visit www.ides.state.il.us.

Ed Hess | B2B contributor

No one has to be told how grim the employment scene is thesedays. The ever-higher prices consumers are paying for everything

from gas to food to health insurance make it pretty clear that werenot in an economic boom. But dont despair. If you find yourself outof a job, wishing you could change jobs, or simply needing a secondsource of income, here is a suggestion for you: Start a small busi-ness.

Numbers that say less than 50 percent of start-ups survive fouryears and that only 35 percent of start-ups survive for seven years.These start-up failures are more a reflection of the owners inabili-ty to properly run a business than of the market for small business-es itself.

If youve done your homework and youre truly committed, dontlet either the statistics or the bad economy stop you. So if you havea business idea that you think could work, here are some things toconsider:

Its the perfect time to be in charge of your own destiny. Theharsh truth is that these days your work life expectancy in Corpo-rate America can be pretty uncertain. The benefit of being a smallbusiness owner is that, in times like these, you control your fate.You can make changes in your business as you see fit.

Quickly learning the ropes will make a better business owner out of you. Getting started during a bleak economic situationmeans youll immediately have to fine tune your business skills.Youll have no choice but to be as frugal as possible. And you willquickly learn the importance of pleasing every customer, everytime.

You can start small and keep your job as a safety net. Startingsmall gives you the ability to keep your day job while you try to getyour business off the ground, and it lets you test drive your busi-

ness idea without making a full financial commitment. If your busi-ness starts to pick up, you can make the decision to transition intoa full-scale business or keep things small and use your new enter-prise as a way to make some extra money on the side.

Yes, credit is tight, but there are other ways to finance your operation. First, figure out how much of your savings you can puttoward the business without incurring too much financial risktypically, around 20 percent of your net worth. Then, consider ask-ing your friends and family if they would be willing to contribute.Explain why you think your business will work and let them know how and when you will pay them back. You might also consider put-ting some of your expenses on a credit card. If possible, use plasticfor small expenses only as you dont want to acquire too much cred-it card debt when you are starting out.

Small businesses can adjust more easily to tough times than c or- porations. Big, bureaucratic corporations and even mid-size com-panies cannot weather economic lags as easily as small businesses.You might think that large companies can just throw money at theproblems they encounter during a slow down. Even large, well-cap-italized companies can run out of money shockingly fast, and whatsmore, they arent nimble enough to change courses when they needto. That gives small companies a distinct advantage.

You can get better things cheaper. If you are a small businessowner looking for employees, youll likely be able to hire more

skilled workers for less money than they might normally accept. Maybe they desperately need the work, or maybe they just under-stand that slow economic times mean lower salaries (and they trustyoull make it up to them when the recession is over). You may alsobe able to get a good deal on an office lease or storage space. Thereal estate market is suffering right now so more and more proper-ty owners are looking to make money on their properties any way

they can.Outstanding service can be the secret weapon that helps you

beat the competition. One area in which a small business shouldalways excel is customer servicegood economy or bad. But when

things are down and customers have less money to spend, they real-ly care that theyre getting a lot of bang for their buck. Theyll alsobe looking to cut out those businesses that arent meeting theirneeds. As a smaller company, youll have an advantage over largercompetitors because you are better positioned to provide consis-tent, outstanding service. Small businesses just tend to be moreflexible and can turn on a dime to meet client needs as they arise.

When its based on a good business opportunity and backed bycommitment and plenty of old-fashioned hard work, a small busi-ness can do quite well during tough times. So, if you want to start abusinesseven in todays bad economytake the necessary stepsto ensure its a viable opportunity, and get to work.

Comparative Kankakee CountyEmployment and Wages, byIndustry and Gender

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Editor: Andrew Wheeler815-929-5416 awheeler@b2billinois.com

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The $tart-Up $olution:Some Surprising Reasons Why Our Bad Economy Is a GREAT Time to Start Your Own Business

Ed Hess lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and spentmost of his business life advising entrepreneurs andfinancing their business ventures. In July 2007, Ed

joined the faculty of the Darden School of Business atthe University of Virginia as a professor of businessadministration and Batten executive-in-residencewhere he teaches courses on building small business-es and organic growth.

About the Book:So, You Want to Start a Business? 8 Steps to Take Before Making theLeap (FT Press, September 2008, ISBN: 978-0-13-712667-5, $18.99) isavailable in bookstores nationwide and from all major online book-sellers.

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