Eliot Richardson
Small businesses continue to struggle to recruit and retain talent.
This tenacious and persistent problem, which has become increasingly pronounced during the pandemic, often causes business owners and their employees to endure pressure and stress.
After years of battling labor shortages that impact the productivity and effectiveness of both business owners and employees, it is time to enact meaningful legislation that transitions people into the workforce.
Gov. JB Pritzker’s State of the State and Budget Address highlighted a child care tax credit to help working parents get back to work. Establishing this tax credit will support working families and small businesses and put money back into local economies.
Lawmakers should finally pass the SAFER Communities Act, which will provide wage subsidies to businesses that hire formerly incarcerated people and increase the tax credit for small businesses that hire returning citizens.
Providing businesses with resources to provide on-the-job training to formerly incarcerated individuals will support small businesses struggling to hire employees, help returning citizens enter the workforce, proactively improve public safety, and reduce costs of employment. recidivism.
Occupational licensing reform can also complement the workforce by removing barriers that prevent potential employees from working in certain fields. Occupational licenses that are overly broad, extremely costly, or unnecessary should be modified or changed. People licensed in other states should also be able to come to Illinois and work without facing unreasonable obstacles.
A healthy workforce is more productive for many reasons, including that when employees cannot obtain necessary medical care, they often cannot work effectively, if at all.
For this and other reasons, it is imperative that small businesses are able to offer quality, affordable health insurance to their employees.
Last year, SBAC championed legislation giving the Illinois Department of Insurance the authority to deny or modify excessive premium increases that make it difficult for small businesses to obtain affordable health insurance. In doing so, Illinois joined more than 40 states that have already implemented prior approval in some form. This law, which goes into effect in 2026, also increases transparency so policymakers and the public can better understand what drives health insurance costs.
More must be done to control health insurance costs for small businesses and support a healthy workforce. The high cost of certain medications significantly affects health insurance premiums and pending legislation must be passed to address that issue. It is also imperative that employees who need medical care are able to obtain treatment without facing unnecessary obstacles that could affect treatment.
Small businesses will need to continue exploring new and innovative ways to foster connectivity, productivity and satisfaction in the workplace.
Remote work has significantly changed many industries and the post-pandemic economy offers new challenges and opportunities in almost every area.
However, small businesses can only grow if they have enough employees to support their operations. There must be collaboration among stakeholders to grow our workforce, help keep employees healthy, and ensure small businesses can hire and retain the employees they need to succeed.
• Elliot Richardson is co-founder and president of the Small Business Advocacy Council.