State Reminding Jobseekers to Register for Employment Service, Provide Resume for New Unemployment Insurance Claims Filed on or after July 17

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) is reminding jobseekers who file claims for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on or after July 17, 2016, to register for employment service and upload at least one resume to www.IllinoisJobLink.com – before they can receive an unemployment payment (unless they are exempt from the requirement). Individuals who are currently receiving benefits are not required to register again. IDES provides temporary financial assistance to individuals who have lost their job through no fault of their own and are seeking new employment.
 
“To help people who are unemployed find another job more quickly, we are changing the process through which individuals file for unemployment,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “In the past, the unemployment benefits application was separate from the work registration requirement. Now, we are tying these two processes together to help expedite the hiring process. Registering for employment services with a work-history and list of skills will help individuals re-enter the workforce.”

Currently, Illinois employers have nearly 180,000 job openings on www.IllinoisJobLink.com. IDES estimates that approximately 60 percent of those filing unemployment claims do not include a work history or resume. Although there are a few exemptions, state and federal laws require individuals to actively seek employment in order to be eligible for UI benefits. 

A complete registration at www.IllinoisJobLink.com helps to expand resources for jobseekers, including free job searches and postings, recruiting, job-matches, hiring fairs, workshops, seminars and webinars. Additionally, it enables the Department to better assess a claimant’s employment search needs and to help identify additional employment services. For additional information regarding this requirement, please see the Department’s FAQs, log on to www.ides.illinois.gov or view information under the “Resources” tab at www.IllinoisJobLink.com.