Employment

Rivian is no longer sharing publicly how many people work at its Normal manufacturing plant – a change in longstanding practice for an electric automaker that’s received millions of dollars in publicly funded tax breaks. And evidence suggests Rivian’s headcount in Normal is much lower than previously thought.

Bloomington Fire Chief Cory Matheny says the department has seen a more than 30% increase in fire and ambulance calls in the last five years, without any additional staffing. He says that has caused a strain.

Workers at the East Empire Street store have joined three New York City-based stores in ratifying contracts as members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

A Starbucks store in Normal could join the more than 500 locations for the coffee giant that have unionized.

The McLean County Board received a presentation of fiscal year 2025's projections that include a slight decrease in overall spending, a property tax decrease and higher salaries for county employees.

Manufacturers have been scrambling for workers for years and the need is rising as the baby boomers that disproportionately make up that part of the workforce retire. That's not likely to change soon.

McLean County had a huge shift to work-from-home employment during the pandemic. In fact, a bigger percentage change than in all but two other counties in Illinois.

There are several reasons why the Town of Normal will pay for a study of how sturdy its three parking decks are. One of them is to see whether solar arrays can go on the roofs to see if the decks will bear the weight.

Bloomington-Normal and the rest of McLean County have a worker shortage. So does much of the rest of the nation. Policymakers and educators are grappling with a multiyear challenge to increase the supply of workers who can keep the area financially strong and vital.

There is no single explanation for why Bloomington-Normal’s labor market is so crazy right now. But one employer hiring 7,500 workers in three years is the electric elephant in the room.