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| State of Oregon Responding to the Economic Downturn |
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| 11/17/2008 |
CONTACT: Craig Spivey
Public Affairs Specialist
WorkSource Oregon Employment Department
503-947-1303
craig.c.spivey@state.or.us
The last time Oregon saw such a steep over the month increase in the unemployment rate was in April of 1980. The Oregon Employment Department is responding to the current economic situation by providing more benefits to those who have become unemployed through no fault of their own, and by increasing efforts to connect job seekers with employers who have listed thousands of job openings with the state.
Unemployment Insurance
What benefits are available to Oregonians right now?
26 weeks regular claim ($113/week minimum, $482/week maximum)
13 weeks Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC ends March 2009)
13weeks Extended Benefits (EB starts December 7)
52 weeks possible benefits
Initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits up 27 percent (Oct ’07 – Sep ’08)
60,000 Oregonians currently receive unemployment insurance benefits.
1,200 Oregonians exhaust their initial 26-week claim each week.
900 Oregonians exhaust their EUC claim each week
With the October unemployment rate hitting 7.3 percent, Oregon has triggered on to the Extended Benefits (EB) Program. This program allows for another 13 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits, once a claimant has exhausted their regular and EUC benefits. The program is paid 50 percent by the Federal government and 50 percent by the state. The EB program will go into effect the week of December 7, 2008. All Oregonians who are potentially eligible for the EB program will be notified by mail by the Oregon Employment Department. There is no need to contact an unemployment insurance center until you receive notification.
To speed processing of unemployment insurance claims, the Oregon Employment Department has added staff to answer calls and has moved other staff to process claims during off hours. There are now two ways to file for a claim: on the Internet, or by telephone.
To file online, go to www.WorkingInOregon.org.
To file by telephone, call one the unemployment insurance centers servicing your area:
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Portland Metro and NW Oregon: 503-451-2400, or toll free 1-877-877-1781
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Eugene and SW Oregon: 541-686-7800 or toll free 1-877-728-7970
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Central and Eastern Oregon: 541-388-6207 or toll free 1-800-663-7914
For the shortest wait times, contact the unemployment insurance centers on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings.
Getting Oregonians Back to Work
The state workforce system, WorkSource Oregon, has seen a huge jump in registrations for its job-matching site: iMatchSkills.org.
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2008
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New registrations
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2007
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New registrations
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Increase from
2007 to 2008
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May-08
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13,361
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May-07
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12,512
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7%
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Jun-08
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14,406
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Jun-07
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11,233
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28%
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Jul-08
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15,021
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Jul-07
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11,780
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28%
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Aug-08
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15,169
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Aug-07
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12,919
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17%
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Sep-08
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17,600
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Sep-07
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10,362
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70%
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Oct-08
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22,934
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Oct-07
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13,569
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69%
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Total
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98,491
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Total
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72,375
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36%
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Despite the downturn in the employment picture, there are literally thousands of jobs available on iMatchSkills®. As of Friday, November 14, 2008 there were 8,207 openings posted:
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Top 10 Occupational Groups by Openings
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Openings
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Office and Administrative Support Occupations
| 1149
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Sales and Related Occupations
| 1006
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Production Occupations
| 911
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Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
| 610
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Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
| 498
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Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
| 488
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Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations
| 422
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Healthcare Support Occupations
| 398
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Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
| 328
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Computer and Mathematical Occupations
| 305
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Top 30 Occupations by Number of Openings
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Openings
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Customer Service Representatives
| 610
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Retail Salespersons
| 391
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Farmworkers And Laborers For Crops
| 351
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Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
| 274
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Registered Nurses
| 261
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Cashiers
| 181
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Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants
| 179
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Sales Representatives, Services, All Other
| 151
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Home Health Aides
| 128
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Personal and Home Care Aides
| 123
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Production Workers, All Other
| 114
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Computer Support Specialists
| 111
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Assemblers and Fabricators, All Other
| 99
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Security Guards
| 98
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Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
| 98
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Semiconductor Processors
| 95
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Sales and Related Workers, All Other
| 93
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Janitors and Cleaners
| 89
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Waiters and Waitresses
| 86
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Teacher Assistants
| 85
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Stock Clerks and Order Fillers
| 81
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Office Clerks, General
| 79
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Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
| 77
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Survey Researchers
| 70
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Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer
| 70
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Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
| 69
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Truck Drivers, Light or Delivery Services
| 62
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Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
| 61
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Cooks, Restaurant
| 55
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Food Preparation Workers
| 53
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Job Seeker Services Available through WorkSource Oregon
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Services and support to prepare job seekers for their next job
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Skills assessment and improvement
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Job search and other work-related workshops
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Resume development
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Resource Rooms with computers, phones, and fax
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Labor market and career information
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Job finding tools and information
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Connecting to jobs
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Services for Veterans
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Services to Farm Workers
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Information on other resources and assistance in the community
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Housing, childcare, food banks, etc.
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Information on connecting to educational opportunities and apprenticeships
Employer Services
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Access to a large and diverse labor pool
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Development and posting of lob Listings
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Staff matching of job listings to the labor pool
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Interview rooms and recruitment assistance
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Rapid Response Activities such as layoff aversion assistance, layoff information and transition for employees, and other assistance to human resource staff
WorkSource Oregon is in the process of implementing a new skill assessment that will help job seekers determine their best fit for current openings, and what training they might need to make them more employable. Job seekers take a skill assessment and are then served by one of our partners to obtain needed training.
How to access these services:
Web: www.WorkSourceOregon.org, www.iMatchSkills.org, www.Employment.Oregon.gov
In person: Network of offices statewide, call 877-517-5627 for location information
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