CONTACT:  Craig Spivey
WorkSource Oregon Employment Department
503-947-1303
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Unemployment Insurance Benefits Claims Activity

The number of initial regular claims has decreased since last year. In February, Initial claims decreased by 15% from last year. Weeks claimed are also down in February from February 2009 by 15%. In addition, where weeks claimed trended up in 2009, they are trending down this year, following a more normal seasonal pattern. However, there are over 46% more people receiving unemployment insurance benefits now than there were this time last year and there are almost as many on extension benefits now as there are on regular benefits.

	Week ending Mar.5	Same week in 2009
Oregonians claiming Regular Benefits	104,909	130,538
Oregonians claiming Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC)	98,245	34,562
Extended Benefits (EB/ HEB)	434	108
Oregonians Claiming Other Benefits	9,606	7,321
Total Claiming benefits	213,194	145,529
Oregonians Exhausting Regular Benefits	2,249	1,737
Benefits paid (total)	$64,927,285	$51,492,090

 

 

 

 

There has been some recent activity with unemployment insurance benefit extensions that will help many Oregonians. First, the Oregon state Legislature passed the Oregon Emergency Benefits (OEB) program. The week beginning March 21, 2010 will be the first opportunity for individuals to file under this program. The program is estimated to provide two to six weeks of additional benefits for nearly 18,000 Oregonians.

Second, Congress recently passed, and the President signed into law, an extension of the deadline for individuals to be able to file for Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC). The program ended February, but has been extended until April 3, 2010.  It is important to note, the extension of the program does not add weeks of benefits to the program, it just extends the timeframe in which individuals can apply.

Unemployment Insurance Benefit Payments

Current Minimum Weekly Benefit Amount: $115.00
Current Maximum Weekly Benefit Amount: $493.00
Average unemployment check (week ending 02/27/10): $289.96

Employment Services

The Oregon Employment Department, along with its workforce partners, offers a variety of services for those seeking work.  These services range from job search assistance, workshops to enhance job seeking skills, and connections to meaningful training.

In addition, the Employment Department maintains one of the largest pools of current job openings in the state.  Currently the department has 5,494 job listings representing 14,554 job openings. Below is the most current list of top 10 job openings by occupation, and by occupational group.

Top 10 Job Openings By Occupations
Openings    Occupations
2311             Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan
1723             Farmworkers And Laborers For Crops
1351             Customer Service Representatives
702               Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Vocational Education
284               Retail Salespersons
209               Forest Fire Fighters
198               Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants
193               Registered Nurses
175               Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer
170               Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

Top 10 Job Openings by Occupational Group

Openings   Standard Occupational Code Group
4254            Office and Administrative Support
2097            Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
870              K-12 Education, Training, and Library
862              Sales
605              Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
557              Food Preparation and Serving
426              Healthcare Support
414              Management
376              Protective Service
366              Computer and Mathematical

For jobs and job training resources and information, go to: www.WorkSourceOregon.org.

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