Illinois Department of Employment Security highlights enhanced efforts to help jobseekers

Implements requirements to better connect job seekers and employers for new claims filed on or after July 17

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that it is expanding efforts to help individuals who file a claim for Unemployment Insurance (UI) move from unemployment to employment. As part of this effort, the Department will enhance its enforcement of the existing legal requirement for those who file a UI claim to register with the Illinois Employment Service.

Registering with the Employment Service increases the number of resources available for jobseekers, including free job-search and postings, recruiting, job-matches, hiring fairs, workshops, seminars and webinars. Additionally, it enables the Department to better assess a claimant’s employment needs and to help identify additional employment services.

Effective on or after July 17, 2016, individuals who file a new claim for unemployment benefits will be required to register with the Employment Service before receiving UI benefit payments, unless they are exempt from the registration requirement. A claimant’s responses on the UI claim application will determine if that individual is required to register. The registration process includes creating or uploading at least one resume on www.IllinoisJobLink.com.  Individuals who are currently receiving benefits are not required to register again.

“One of our top objectives is to help individuals who are temporarily unemployed find employment more quickly and effectively, but with only a fraction of our claimants completing registration with the Employment Service and filing resumes, our ability to assist is limited,” said Jeff Mays, Director, IDES. “We want jobseekers to know that we are ready to put them on a faster track towards jobs.”

Currently 60 percent of all UI claims filed with the Department do not include a completed registration for employment services. Through enhanced enforcement of the registration requirement, the Department will be able to expand resources for claimants looking for gainful employment through www.IllinoisJobLink.com which most recently had more than 179,000 job postings.  For additional information regarding this requirement, please see the Department’s FAQs or log on to www.ides.illinois.gov.

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