Illinois' jobs outlook is glum to say the least. The unemployment rate is hovering at 10.9 percent, one of the highest marks in more than a 25 years. And the state has shed jobs over each of the past 22 months. To make matters worse, the State Journal-Register reports today that state employment experts are skeptical that the lost jobs will resurface anytime soon:

Employment experts and economists say thousands of the jobs lost since the Great Recession started two years ago this month are gone for good, including in Illinois, or at least won’t return to pre-recession numbers. Manufacturing has been hardest hit.

It also raises the question of where will the new jobs come from?

Last week, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) announced that he has pulled together a jobs task force charged with finding solutions to that question. So far, 30 lawmakers have signed on. Over the next month, they'll hold hearings -- in Springfield and in other cities across the state -- to come up with a list of ideas for what state officials can do in the short-term to expedite job creation.

Earlier today, we caught up with the task force's chair, Deputy House Majority Leader Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), to learn more about what he expects to accomplish. "What we're not going to do is listen to a lot of platitudes," Lang tells us, "like doing away with business taxes or workers compensation taxes." More from the Illinois Radio Network:

Lang says anyone can attend the meetings and offer testimony, but he wants details. He says he doesn't want vague statements from business groups that claim that taxes, fees, and regulations are a problem, with no facts or figures to back them up.

Lang wants the task force to initially focus on potential tweaks to state regulations. Already, he has staff members looking into possibilities. Among them is whether the pace of permitting by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is driving new businesses away. "Presuming that's true," Lang says, "then we would want to find a way to shortcut the permitting process. But not in a way that harms the environment."

Before the spring legislative session kicks into gear, Lang hopes to introduce a fairly lengthy set of recommendations -- including some statutory changes -- for spurring job growth. A series of shell bills are being drafted in preparation. "We're going to move quickly, but not rush this," Lang says. "As important as it is to create jobs, it's important to do it well."

Check back later this week for remarks by Lang -- and others -- on the prospects of passing an state income tax increase in 2010.