Illinois
Laid off in Illinois? Start here.
Who to call, what Illinois law says about your notice, and the free state programs most people never hear about. Everything here is free, and every fact has its source at the bottom.
Who to call
Illinois's free help, in one place.
Rapid Response is the state team that steps in around a layoff. The job center is where you sign up for career help and training. Unemployment is its own office.
- Rapid Response
- Illinois's Rapid Response teamNorthern Illinois: 773-360-4628Central Illinois: 217-814-1945Southern Illinois: 618-993-7237Illinois workNet Layoff Recovery
- Unemployment
- Illinois Department of Employment Security1-800-244-5631File a claimBefore you file, check how Illinois treats severance with the Unemployment Check.
- Job center near you
- Find an American Job Center (search by ZIP code)
The Rapid Response team works with employers too, so say up front that you're a worker who was laid off and ask where to start. You don't need your employer's permission.
Your notice
Illinois has its own layoff-notice law.
The Illinois WARN Act covers employers with 75 or more full-time employees and requires 60 days' notice of a closing or mass layoff. It reaches smaller layoffs than the federal law: 25 or more full-time workers, if they're a third of the site.
820 ILCS 65 · Illinois DCEO, Illinois WARN Requirements and Procedures
See recent Illinois notices on PinkSlipped's Layoff Wire.
Only in Illinois
What's different here.
A page for your layoff
The state's layoff team often builds a page on Illinois workNet for a specific company's layoff, with the sessions and services for those workers. Search workNet for your employer.
Chicago and Cook County packet
The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership hands out a Laid Off Worker Packet with local services, unemployment steps and job center locations.
Before the first call
Four free checks, in the order you'll need them.
They work for Illinois and every other state, and none of them asks for your name.
- 1Unemployment CheckWhen to file, and the weeks severance may offset
- 2Runway CheckKnow your runway in ten minutes
- 3Insurance CheckCOBRA or the Marketplace: what coverage actually costs
- 4401(k) CheckWhat touching the 401(k) really costs
Your Plan puts the Illinois calls in the right week, next to your unemployment claim and your severance deadlines. Build my free Plan
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Rapid Response Coordinators
- U.S. Department of Labor, How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?
- Illinois DCEO, Illinois WARN Requirements and Procedures
- Illinois workNet, Layoff Recovery
- Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, Laid Off Worker Packet
Last reviewed October 26, 2026. Contacts and programs change; Illinois's job center has the final word.
General education, not legal advice. PinkSlipped isn't affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor or any state agency.