Press Release:  ICYMI: Layoffs Soar as Trump’s Disastrous Economic Agenda Shatters Job Market for Working Illinoisans

Springfield, IL — In case you missed it, Friday’s jobs report showed a weakening job market under Donald Trump, with the economy adding only 50,000 jobs in December. Excluding recessions, 2025 saw the slowest monthly average job growth since 2003. Manufacturing jobs continue to bleed, with the sector losing 8,000 jobs in November — the eighth straight month of losses — bringing total manufacturing job losses under Trump to 63,000. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate has declined. In response to the weak December jobs report, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez released the following statement:

“Just eleven months in, and Donald Trump has thrown the job market into chaos. Job cuts are skyrocketing, hiring has slowed, and unemployment is still high. Illinois working families are being squeezed as prices continue to soar. Take a look around: too many families are struggling. And what is Trump doing? Running a foreign country bankrolled off Illinoisans hard-earned dollars. The message is clear: Trump will always put Illinoisans last.”

Under Trump, working families are finding it harder than ever before to land a job.

Last week, the December Challenger report revealed that in 2025, US employers announced 1,206,374 job cuts — the highest level since 2020, and the seventh highest annual total since 1989. In the fourth quarter, employers announced plans to cut 259,948 jobs, the highest fourth-quarter total since 2008.

A reminder: Trump promised to deliver an economic ‘golden age’ to Illinoisans, but all he has done is sling the economy through the mud to enrich billionaires. Now, Illinois families are grappling with the economic pain caused by Trump’s toxic agenda.

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