EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and his administration are taking action to support thousands of workers impacted by federal job cuts.
The state is hosting two job fairs aimed at providing new employment opportunities for those affected. The first event kicked off today in Edwardsville.
Held at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, multiple state agencies were offering job positions in a wide range of industries.
As federal job cuts loom under President Donald Trump’s plan to streamline the government, concerns are growing as the federal government is Illinois’s second-largest employer after the state itself.
In response, Governor JB Pritzker is organizing job fairs for various fields, including engineering, health care, accounting and environmental services.
Germaine Yancy, a veteran who is seeking employment, said the job cuts are devastating.
“When I heard about the job cuts, it was something that never happened in the history of the United States of America,” Yancy said. “We always kept jobs and kept families fed and move.”
Adam Woods, another job seeker, is one of many Illinois IRS employees laid off in the federal government restructuring.
Woods said he was caught off guard when he was let go and is grateful for the state’s job fair.
“They just sent an email and said, ‘Here you go, by the way.’ And it didn’t even come from an agency itself.”
State officials at the job fair say they’re committed to helping workers transition.
“If things can be taken away at the federal level, people need to look at all other resources. If their job is impacted, have a plan B,” said Moses Holman from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
A second job fair is scheduled for March 20 at Malcolm X College in Chicago