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What’s next when the unemployment ends?
Thanks to expanded unemployment insurance, the local office has seen few people run out of benefits. As the recession grinds on, though, that seems likely to change, officials say. So the question is ...
By Hillary Borrud / The Bulletin
Published: June 02. 2009 4:00AM PST
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These days, the Bend Unemployment Insurance Center might be one of the busiest offices in the area, with 14,446 calls from May 1 to May 28 from people inquiring about their unemployment benefits.
Over the past 10 months, the office has increased its staff from 29 to 74 employees to serve the growing number of unemployed people, said Randy McCorkle, manager of the center.
“We get a ton of traffic each day,” McCorkle said.
But for now, only a few of those people are running out of unemployment insurance, due at least in part to the federal government’s extensions of the benefits. People who are eligible can now obtain up to 79 weeks of unemployment insurance, after Congress extended unemployment insurance in July 2008 and the federal stimulus package extended benefits again early this year, said Craig Spivey, a spokesman for the Oregon Employment Department.
State Economist Tom Potiowsky said he did not have information to predict when the number of people exhausting their benefits might increase. However, the number of people using up their first round of benefits — which lasts up to 26 weeks — has increased from last year. Recently, about 3,000 Oregonians a week have used up their regular benefits, Potiowsky said, compared with about 1,100 people a week at the same time last year.
Potiowsky did not have regional information available for Central Oregon.
“We do know of some people who have run out of benefits or are not eligible for the benefits,” McCorkle said. “As time goes on, we’re going to see more and more people running out.”
And unless those people can find work, that could result in additional strain on programs from food stamps to cash assistance.
Patrick Carey, district manager for the Department of Human Services in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties, said that since the federal government extended unemployment insurance, he has not encountered many people who have used up their benefits.
“I think we saw some of that prior to the federal government extending unemployment benefits and extending them again,” Carey said. “At some point in time, the federal government might end those benefits and then I would fully expect them to be impacted.”
Help for the unemployed
Laurel Werhane, the Central Oregon WorkSource manager, said her offices refer people who need services, such as job training, to other local organizations before they run out of unemployment insurance.
“We don’t want anyone to wait that long,” Werhane said. “Once you’re out of benefits, it is extremely difficult to find other resources.”
This is one reason WorkSource organized a resource fair (see “If you go” above) instead of the job fair it normally holds with invited employers. Also, employers have fewer jobs to offer and have been overwhelmed with candidates, Werhane wrote in an e-mail.
“This economy has really changed that dynamic,” Werhane said. “Because we’re not going to have the job fair as we normally would, this is at least the opportunity for us to have the people that are unemployed connected with resources that are out there today.”
More than 35 organizations will be at the June 11 fair with information on everything from energy-savings assistance to health insurance options.
“The other thing I’d suggest for people who are even not near the end of unemployment is networking and volunteering,” Werhane said.
One place WorkSource refers unemployed people for training is the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, or COIC, which received federal stimulus money to distribute scholarships.
Ann Delach, the adult programs manager for COIC, said people with a serious interest in job training should call COIC at the nearest WorkSource office. Contact information for COIC is available at coic.org.
People who are unemployed also could get help from Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s proposed Oregon Emergency Jobs Program, which could create 12,000 entry-level, temporary jobs across the state with wages from $8.40 to $10 an hour, according to a news release from the governor’s office. The unemployment insurance trust fund would pay for the program, which requires legislative approval.
The governor wants the Legislature to approve the program in June so jobs can start in July, according to the release. For more information about the program, visit www.worksourceoregon .org, or call the program’s hot line at 877-692-6111.
In an e-mail, Werhane said work is still available for job seekers.
“We are seeing a few listings generated from stimulus dollars, some new positions, but most are replacement positions where someone has left the company and the business is refilling the position,” Werhane wrote.
“Right now, employers are getting 100, 200 applications for one position,” Werhane said. “Our job is to help the job seeker understand what skills they have, how they’re transferable to other occupations and positions. And we want them to stand out when they’re filling out an application.”
Hillary Borrud can be reached at 541-617-7829 or at hborrud@bendbulletin.com.
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