When Andrew R. Stolfi took over as director of the Oregon Employment Department (OED) in July 2025, Governor Kotek directed him to lead the agency through a comprehensive review of customer service, business support, and workforce operations across its major programs: Unemployment Insurance (UI), Paid Leave Oregon, Contributions and Recovery (C&R), WorkSource Oregon (WSO), and the Frances Online system. The goal was to identify how the agency can improve customer service and strengthen Oregon’s workforce development mission. It resulted in a comprehensive plan with 101 clear and prioritized actions.
How the Review Was Conducted
OED gathered extensive feedback from across the state through surveys, focus groups, and interviews with more than 5,000 customers, 850 employees, and 240 frontline staff. The action plan outlines a clear, phased path to strengthen how OED serves Oregonians.
Key Findings
- Customers rely on OED services during high-stress moments, and they need clearer, faster, and more predictable service. Many struggle to understand the status of their claim, what they are required to do, and timelines – leading to repeated contacts, long wait times, and processing delays.
- Staff are deeply committed to serving customers but lack consistent tools, training, and authority to resolve issues efficiently. Internal silos, outdated procedures, and limited access to real-time information slow service delivery and contribute to frustration.
- WorkSource Oregon centers are overwhelmed by customers seeking UI and Paid Leave assistance that WorkSource staff are not trained or authorized to provide, reducing their capacity to offer employment services and creating frustration with our customers.
- Employers want simpler reporting processes and clearer guidance. OED offers valuable business and workforce services that are underused, particularly by small businesses, due to low awareness and inconsistent outreach.
Priority Actions
The report outlines 101 total actions the agency can undertake to improve customer service; however, OED cannot implement all of them at once. The list includes a subset of the six highest priority actions that will have the greatest near-term impact:
- Implement a coordinated set of artificial intelligence tools to improve customer service and reduce staff workload for faster resolution of common and complex issues.
- Review and simplify customer letters, notices, web content, and guides across all programs to make them more consistent and easier to understand.
- Equip WorkSource Oregon centers with additional tools to help customers navigate UI claims.
- Improve how OED collects and analyzes data to support well-informed goal setting, process improvement, and accountability.
- Create a live claim status tracker to help customers understand where they are and what to expect at each step of the process for Paid Leave and UI.
- Consolidate Title I and Title III Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act funding within OED to improve efficiency and accountability within Oregon’s public workforce system.
Overall, the 101 actions fall into four core areas:
- Customer Service Improvements — We are centering the customer experience, simplifying processes where we can and providing self-help tools so complex issues can be handled with trained staff. Improvements within this theme focus on removing barriers and reducing delays, as well as making information easier to find, understand, and act on.
- Organizational Improvements — How we structure our agency and support our employees has a significant impact on our ability to serve our customers. Improvements within this theme focus on strengthening the foundational operations of OED.
- Frances Online Improvements — Frances is core to how customers apply for benefits, staff process claims, and employers file payroll reports and provide important claim information. Improvements within this theme focus on helping the system evolve more smoothly and respond more quickly to customer and staff needs.
- Workforce System Improvements — WSO centers and statewide workforce programs need updated tools and better coordination to meet customer needs. Improvements within this theme will help jobseekers and employers access services more easily.
Looking Ahead
By focusing on clearer communication, simpler processes, modernized technology, and stronger alignment within OED’s programs and services, OED can deliver faster, more reliable, and more accessible services.
This is a multi-year effort that will continue to evolve as we learn what works. Transparency, accountability, and continuous feedback will guide each step of our implementation.
Some actions were completed prior to release of the report, and OED will continue to share progress updates and engage customers, partners, and the public as we move forward.