Our Purpose
We know that jobs rarely serve the people they should, and that many of our existing policies are rooted in racism. We also know that everyone has potential—the potential to lead their own unique pathway out of poverty, and the potential to help others do the same.
Chicago Jobs Council is uniting community and institutional leaders to rebuild the system, to create jobs that work for people, and to dismantle policies that only serve some. We’re putting in the hard work because we know it counts. And we’re guiding our community to lasting prosperous economic and employment outcomes for all.
Our Mission
Together with community and institutional leaders, Chicago Jobs Council is re-imagining our workforce system so all people can thrive through employment.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create an anti-racist workforce development system and employment equity so that everyone can realize their unique pathway out of poverty.
Our Values
Value Every Voice
Include, welcome, and collaborate with all perspectives to inform and strengthen our work.
Find Bold Solutions
Use research and on-the-ground experience to continually improve our work to be more impactful.
Act With Understanding
Acknowledge each person as their full self — not just the work they do — to strengthen our team and honor our unique experiences and backgrounds.
Build Connections
Serve as an intermediary between people and resources, building meaningful, trusted connections between each other and our partners.
Work With Intention
Intentionally find joy and optimism in every day, despite the hard truths and barriers that we work to change.
Our Strategic Priorities
In 2022, we realigned our goals with a greater focus on racial equity. Here’s what that looks like through each lens of our work.
FOR OURSELVES:
Internally strengthen CJC’s ability to advance racial equity.
Create an anti-racist workforce development framework.
Advance CJC's racial equity commitment in internal structures and processes.
Establish a sustainable growth plan.
FOR POLICY & ADVOCACY:
Advocate for policies that reduce racial disparities to improve economic outcomes for job seekers marginalized by systemic barriers.
Secure funding for workforce development systems and strategies.
Reduce transportation and criminal justice barriers that keep people out of work and in poverty.
Utilize advocacy tools to inform and educate the workforce development ecosystem.
Engage and mobilize service providers, community organizations, and job seekers to amplify our shared agenda.
FOR THE FIELD:
Build the capacity of service providers and build equitable systems for job seekers marginalized by racism.
Advance equitable, person-centered approaches to delivering workforce services.
Support organizations to advance anti-racist program design, service delivery and client engagement.
Expand CJC’s capacity-building efforts in Illinois and its presence nationally.
FY25 Year In Review
There was a lot to celebrate this fiscal year and some major accomplishments to acknowledge at the end of the legislative session. We are proud to do this work alongside our friends and partners.
40+ Years of Policy & Advocacy
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![Yellow oval icon with white border on black background]()
1982
Released a review of tax-subsidized economic development and public works projects in Chicago.
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![Yellow oval shape with white border on black background]()
1985
Took a lead role in the passage and the implementation of The McLaughlin Ordinance.
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![Dark mode silhouette of a yellow pill shape with white outline]()
1997
Shaped development of the Federal Workforce Investment Act and influenced the creation of “one-stop centers” in Chicago.
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2000
Released a series of reports to inform welfare and workforce development policy implementation.
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![Minimalist black background with centered yellow capsule shape outlined in white. Timeline benchmark.]()
2005
Released Big Shoulders, Big Challenges—a landmark analysis of Chicago’s public workforce development funding.
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![Minimalist black background with centered yellow capsule shape outlined in white. Timeline benchmark.]()
2006
Launched the Illinois Works for the Future campaign with other Illinois advocacy organizations.
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![2014]()
2014
CJC conducts neighborhood analysis and identified 4 neighborhoods that are most disconnected from employment and resources. License suspension is a specific challenge named by community based organizations.
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![2015]()
2015
CJC writes various blog posts and hosts discussions about License Suspension.
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![2016 Transit Table]()
2016
Transit Table convened for the first time and by the end of the year Transit Table agreed to advocate for eliminating license suspension for most non-moving violations.
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![2017]()
2017
Heartland Alliance lead the Transit Table in preparing a bill to eliminate license suspension for most non-driving violations now known as the License to Work Act. (See HB3177 and SB1614)
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![2019]()
2019
License to Work Act passes ILGA
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![2020]()
2020
Governor Pritzker signs License to Work which ended suspensions for failure to pay parking tickets, impacting 75,000 Illinois driving records.
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![2021]()
2021
License to Work publishes the Shifting Suspensions in Illinois Study launching the work on Failure to Appear Legislation. More than 100,000 people with driver’s license suspensions in Illinois for “failure to appear” in traffic court.
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![2022]()
2022
CJC drafts legislative alternative to failure to appear - HB277, in partnership with the Transit Table and government leaders.
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![2024]()
2024
We celebrate the passage of HB277 with the Skills Agenda Coalition, where we partnered with the Transit Table to end license suspensions for minor traffic offenses related to failure to appear in court.
Annual Reports Archive
A look at our annual reports through the years.
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Reframing the Narrative
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What's new and what's normal for workforce development?
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The View From The Bridge Learning From Our Past & Co-Creating The Future
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Ideas and Action From the Community, For the Community
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Ideas and Action From the Community, For the Community
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Ideas and Action From the Community, For the Community
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Ideas and Action From the Community, For the Community
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Ideas and Action From the Community, For the Community
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Ideas and Action From the Community, For the Community
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Giving Voice, Sharing Stories, Speaking Out
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Re-Connect, Re-Build, Re-Invigorate
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Unifying Voices for 30 Years
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Mobilizing…Individuals, Organizations, Communities…For Change
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Charting a New Course: Navigating through Troubled Waters