![]() This card is issued by KeyBank N.A. In Cleveland, Ohio pursuant to license by Mastercard International, and all funds accessed by the card are held by KeyBank. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Cardholder Agreement. The balance on the card is FDIC-insured up to the maximum allowable limit. Use anywhere the debit Mastercard is accepted. Banking products and services are offered by KeyBank National Association. Key.com is a federally registered service mark of KeyCorp. © 2017 KeyCorp. ![]() ![]() KeyBank is Member FDIC. The term “certification' is used by IDES to describe how you claim (888.337.weeks of unemployment and receive benefits if you are entitled. This term is used because you are “certifying” on a biweekly basis that your answers to the questions in Tele-Serve about your unemployment status are correct. Your answers to these questions are factors in determining your entitlement to benefits for the weeks for which you are claiming.| Note: Before any benefits can be paid on a new claim, you must serve a non-paid 'waiting week'. Electronic payments made to eligible individuals are generally available within 2-3 business days of certification. What if the Tele-Serve phone number is busy? Call volume is particularly high early in the morning (especially Mondays and Tuesdays). Sep 26, 2017. Illinois is one of the states that uses prepaid debit cards to distribute unemployment benefits. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) distributes the card to you right after it approves your benefits. After you activate the card, you can access your benefits by using the card to make purchases. Customers have two choices to receive their payments — Direct Deposit or Electronic Payment Card. On how to activate it and use it. Unemployment Insurance|. If the number is busy, hang up, and try calling again in the afternoon or up to 8:30 p.m. That same day. Certifying early on your scheduled call date doesn't make payments come any faster. If you miss your scheduled call date, you may still call on Thursday or Friday of the same week. You may also call on your regular call day the following week (or Thursday or Friday of that week). Please remember, if you do not certify - or claim weeks - for unemployment benefits, you will not receive any payment. 1099s Mailed by IDES for Tax Year 2008 Chicago (1/27) - Because unemployment benefits are subject to federal and state income tax, each year Form 1099-G is mailed by January 31st to those individuals who received UI benefits in the previous calendar year, using the last address on file. These documents may be forwarded, provided the Post Office has a current 'mail forwarding' request on file. What is the Tele-Serve system? To 8:30 p.m, Monday through Friday, including many holidays, the IDES Tele-Serve system is a fast, safe, reliable touch-tone phone service that enables you to do the following from the basic menu: Press 1 Claim Weeks of Unemployment Press 2 Reopen Your Claim Press 3 Check Status Of Your Claim Press 4 Establish or Change Your PIN Press 5 Obtain General Information About IDES When should I certify using Tele-Serve? When you call, be sure to have your: • social security number • personal identification number (PIN) • earnings before taxes • your latest Statement of Certification • Paper and pencil to record any information given to you during your call Certification Questions You Will Be Asked: • Have you received or will you receive holiday pay? (Have holiday pay amount available) • Did you work? (Have earnings before taxes available) • Has your dependency status changed? • Were you able to work and available for work? • Did you actively look for work? • Are you receiving or have you applied for a Social Security pension? • Other than Social Security, are you receiving or have you applied for a retirement or disability pension? • Are you attending school or receiving training? • Have you claimed or will you receive workers' compensation for a temporary disability? Address and name changes: • Has your phone number changed? Enter your new ten-digit telephone number; Tele-Serve will read it back to you for verification. Confirm if correct. • Has your mailing address or name changed? • Call your Local Office during business hours to report address and name changes. Tele-Serve will tell you the number to call or see the of local offices. Important things to remember about Tele-Serve Do not hang up until Tele-Serve tells you your claim has been accepted: 'This ends your filing at this time.' Guard your PIN: you are responsible for all activity on your claim! Record your work search efforts each week on. CHICAGO - All 12 metro areas in Illinois recorded their lowest June unemployment rate in three years, according to preliminary data released today by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. In addition, year-over-year unemployment rates dropped in every metropolitan area in Illinois for an unprecedented 10 consecutive months. The not seasonally adjusted data compares June 2011 to June 2010. The largest declines were in: Rockford (-3.0 points to 11.6 percent), Danville (-2.5 points to 9.8 percent), and Peoria (-2.1 points to 7.9 percent). The unemployment rate fell -0.2 to 10.4 percent in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville area. 'The lowest June unemployment rate in three years is a significant milestone and is evidence that the Illinois economy is improving and moving in the right direction,' IDES Director Jay Rowell said. 'Despite the soft pause nationally, the data shows encouraging news across our state compared to last year.' Over the year, total payroll jobs increased in seven metro areas, decreased in four and were unchanged in one. The largest increases were in Kankakee-Bradley (+4.1 percent, +1,800), Peoria (+2.8 percent, +5,100), and the Quad Cities (+2.6 percent, +4,700). Total employment also was up in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville area (+0.6 percent, +21,600). Leading sectors were Educational and Health Services (nine areas) and Construction and Manufacturing (eight areas each). Not seasonally adjusted data compares the current month to the same month of the previous year and is not designed to be compared to the previous month. The June 2011 not seasonally adjusted state rate was 9.7 percent and 12.1 percent at its peak in this economic cycle in January 2010. Nationally, the rate was 9.3 percent in June and 10.6 percent in January 2010 at its peak. The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and looking for work. A person ineligible for unemployment benefits will be reflected in the unemployment rate if they continue to look for work. Since January 2010, Illinois has added +97,200 new jobs. Not Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates Metropolitan Area June 2011 * June 2010 Bloomington-Normal 7.0% 7.9% Champaign-Urbana 8.6% 9.5% Chicago-Joliet-Naperville 10.4% 10.6% Danville 9.8% 12.3% Davenport-Moline-Rock Isl. 7.0% 8.0% Decatur 9.8% 11.8% Kankakee-Bradley 10.7% 12.5% Lake-Kenosha, IL-WI 8.8% 10.2% Peoria 7.9% 10.0% Rockford 11.6% 14.6% Springfield 7.0% 8.0% St. Louis (IL-Section) 8.5% 9.9% * Data subject to revision. Total Non-farm Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted) - June 2011 Metropolitan Area June 2001 (preliminary) June 2010 (revised) Over-the-Year Change Bloomington-Normal MSA 89,100 89,800 -700 Champaign-Urbana MSA 102,400 105,800 -3,400 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville Metro Div. 3,673,600 3,652,000 21,600 Danville MSA 29,000 29,000 0 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA 185,500 180,800 4,700 Decatur MSA 52,600 52,800 -200 Kankakee-Bradley MSA 45,200 43,400 1,800 Lake County-Kenosha County Metro Div. 388,200 384,800 3,400 Peoria MSA 184,700 179,600 5,100 Rockford MSA 146,400 145,600 800 Springfield MSA 113,200 112,600 600 Illinois Section of St. Louis MSA 234,000 235,300 -1,300. ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY How is the debit card changing? The card that unemployment security benefits are deliv- ered on is going to change. The current blue Visa card will be replaced by a new red debit MasterCard from Chase. When will I receive my new card? The new red Chase debit MasterCard will arrive by mail in June. It will come with information about how to activate the card. If you have moved in the last 12 months and have not updated your address, please call IDES at 800-244- 5631 and make sure we have a current address on file for you. If IDES does not have your current address, your benefit payments may be interrupted. How soon can I begin to use the new card? You can begin to use your new red Chase debit MasterCard in July. Until then, you can continue to use your current blue Visa debit card. Will the new card work differently than the card I have now? Basically, the new card will work the same as your existing card. The color and the name of the card is changing, but it can be used at all of the locations you currently go to. Specific details about the new debit card will be sent with the new card in June. Will the new card affect my unemployment benefits? The new card will not affect your unemployment benefits. However, there may be a delay in receiving your card if IDES does not have your current address on file. If you have moved in the last twelve months and have not updated your address, please contact IDES at 800-244-5631. What will happen to my current debit card? After June 30, no benefits will be deposited on the blue Visa debit card. You can continue to use the blue Visa debit card until all funds are spent. What will happen to any money I have left on my current card? Money on your blue Visa debit card will not be trans- ferred to the new red Chase debit MasterCard. Spend your blue Visa debit card balance to zero. What if I make automatic payments from the old card? If you have a recurring payment set to be charged to your blue Visa debit card, the recurring payment can continue until the balance on the blue Visa debit card is zero. Then the recurring payment should be redirected to the new red Chase debit MasterCard. What should I do if I do not receive a new card? If you do not receive a new card by July 1, please call IDES at 800-244-5631. Who should I contact if I lose or misplace a card? Blue Visa Debit Card: 800-627-2069 Red Debit MasterCard: 866-728-2167 Address updates and benefit questions: 800-244-5631. Cut-Off Dates for Certain Unemployment Benefit Programs Under current law, the number of weeks of benefits available to Illinois claimants, based on a single application, has ranged from 26 to 99, depending upon when they initially applied for regular benefits. The maximum 99 weeks of benefits has included 26 weeks of regular state benefits; 53 weeks of emergency unemployment compensation (EUC), in four separate tiers of 20, 14, 13 and six weeks, and 20 weeks of extended benefits (EB). Under the federal additional compensation (FAC) program, claimants have received an extra $25 per week in addition to the unemployment benefits they would otherwise receive. Under current law: Individuals who did not exhaust regular benefits by May 22, 2010, will not qualify for EUC. Individuals who exhausted regular benefits on May 29, 2010, potentially qualified for one week of EB. Individuals who exhausted an EUC tier after May 29, 2010, will not graduate to the next tier. The EB program terminated in Illinois as of June 5, 2010. Individuals who initiated a regular benefit claim after May 29, 2010, will not be eligible for FAC. There have been several so far unsuccessful attempts in the U.S. Senate to pass legislation to extend the cut-off dates for qualifying for an EUC tier, as well as the duration of the EB program in Illinois. However, many observers now expect the Senate will have enough votes to pass an extension by the week of July 18, when a critical Senate vacancy is expected to be filled. At this point, it does not appear that the cut-off date for qualifying for FAC payments will be extended or that the total number of weeks available based on a single application will be increased beyond 99. Benefit payments to individuals with certification dates occurring the week of July 11 or 18 will be based on current law. For example, individuals who exhausted any of the first three EUC tiers as of July 10 and who certify on July 19 will not be paid benefits for the week ending July 17, unless and until federal legislation is enacted to extend the cutoff date for qualifying for the next EUC tier. Claimants who will not qualify for further payments without an extension of the cutoff dates for EUC or EB should continue bi-weekly certification using Teleserve or the Internet on their regular certification days. If legislation permitting further payments is passed, the Department will release payments for all unpaid weeks for which claimants are eligible as quickly as possible. Please check this site for further updates. Revised: July 15, 2010. Funding provides 13 more weeks of unemployment insurance CHICAGO – April 16, 2009. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) will fund an additional 13 weeks of unemployment insurance for Illinois unemployed workers who otherwise would have exhausted their benefits. The news comes after the Illinois Department of Employment Security announced that the Illinois unemployment rate rose to 9.1 percent last month. “The proud workers of Illinois deserve this additional help to weather the storm of this national recession,” said Governor Quinn. “We need to do more than just extend unemployment benefits – we need to pass legislation to put the people of Illinois back to work. Two weeks ago I signed the Jump Start Capital Plan to start projects that put people to work; now I am working with the General Assembly to pass the rest of the Illinois Jobs Now! Plan which will support 340,000 jobs.” The Extended Benefits Program provides up to 13 additional weeks of unemployment insurance to workers who have exhausted their 26 weeks of benefits through the state and the additional 33 weeks provided through federal emergency extensions approved by Congress. Without the Extended Benefits Program, Illinois workers who exhausted their regular and emergency benefits would no longer receive unemployment benefits through the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The Extended Benefits Program activated April 5 after the insured unemployment rate exceeded 5 percent. The extended benefits automatically will become payable for weeks beginning on or after April 12. With extended benefits come more rigorous federal requirements. In order to qualify for extended benefits, claimants must document their job search, which must generally include at least five personal contacts with prospective employers each week and three work applications each week. Those eligible for extended benefits will receive more detail in the mail and do not need to contact the department. Details are also available at www.ides.state.il.us. “To assist working families with the more stringent documentation rules, the Department has set up a centralized customer service center and will provide individual notices to claimants along with required forms necessary to receive the benefit payment,” IDES Director Maureen O’Donnell said. The Illinois seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March is 9.1 percent, the highest level since November 1985, according to data released today by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The March rate is +0.5 percent higher than February and the sixth consecutive month to record an increase. Total non-farm payroll declined by –39,300 jobs in March 2009, the second largest over-the- month decrease on record (back to 1990). In March, the number of unemployed people in Illinois increased to 596,000 (+27,400), the highest level reported since September 1983. “As the recession continues, so do our efforts to improve customer service and to inform people about programs that assess an individual’s work skills so they can better prepare themselves when the economy turns around,” IDES Director Maureen O’Donnell said. “We encourage workers to take advantage of this time by learning new skills and positioning themselves for better opportunities as this economy improves.” Nationally, the total number of unemployed grew to 13.2 million in March. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 8.5 percent, its highest level in 25 years. National payroll employment declined for the 15th consecutive month, dropping by -663,000 jobs and bringing total national job losses to -5.1 million since the recession began in December 2007. In Illinois, the Manufacturing sector lost -14,200 jobs in March, its third largest over-the-month reduction since January 1992. In the last year, this sector has dropped by -60,800 jobs, more than 9 percent of its total workforce. The Professional and Business Services sector reported -13,200 fewer workers, the second largest decrease on record and its third decline in excess of -10,000 in the last five months. The IDES administers federally funded employment services and unemployment insurance programs through its nearly 60 offices, including the Illinois workNet Centers. IDES also receives federal grants to provide and analyze labor market statistics and information. Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rates March 2009 February 2009 March 2008 Illinois 9.1% 8.6%* 6.0%* U.S. The Federal Stimulus Plan has been in the news a lot lately. So what does it mean for people receiving unemployment benefits in Illinois? For more information on the Stimulus Plan and its effects on unemployment, including the $25 weekly supplement to eligible individuals and federal tax changes continue reading. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is now law and was effective February 22, 2009. Here are some basic facts about how this law affects Unemployment Insurance. The Federal Additional Compensation The recently enacted Federal Additional Compensation Program (FAC) provides a $25 weekly supplement to individuals who are eligible to receive unemployment benefits under federal or state law. FAC is payable effective February 22, 2009. Therefore, the weekending February 28, 2009 is the first week your unemployment payment will reflect the $25 FAC. Payment of FAC will continue through the week ending July 3, 2010 as long as your benefit year was established prior to January 1, 2010 and you continue to be eligible for unemployment benefits. FAC benefits are subject to federal and state taxes. If you are paid FAC to which you were not entitled, an overpayment will be established. An individual may not receive a FAC supplement if they are ineligible for unemployment benefits. YOUR FAC PAYMENT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE INCLUDED WITH YOUR REGULAR PAYMENT AND IDENTIFIED SEPARATELY ON THE PAYMENT NOTICE. Federal tax exemption: The first $2,400 of UI benefits received during the 2009 tax year are not subject to federal taxes. If you wish to change your withholding status on your current claim, please complete the TAX-2 form and fax the form to 1-217-557-2067 or mail the form to: IDES 850 E Madison First Floor Springfield, IL. Nonfarm payroll employment fell sharply in January (-598,000) and the unemployment rate rose from 7.2 to 7.6 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Payroll employment has declined by 3.6 million since the start of the recession in December 2007; about one-half of this decline occurred in the past 3 months. In January, job losses were large and widespread across nearly all major industry sectors. Establishment and Household Data Changes The establishment survey data in this release have been revised as a result of the annual benchmarking process and the updating of seasonal adjustment factors. See the note beginning on page 6 for more information on the revisions. In addition, household survey data for January 2009 reflect updated population estimates. See the note on page 7 for more information. Also, January 2009 industry data shown in table A-11 of this release have been converted to the 2007 Census Industry Classification System. Historical data have not been revised. Unemployment (Household Survey Data) Both the number of unemployed persons (11.6 million) and the unemployment rate (7.6 percent) rose in January. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 4.1 million and the unemployment rate has risen by 2.7 percentage points. (See table A-1.) The unemployment rate continued to trend upward in January for adult men (7.6 percent), adult women (6.2 percent), whites (6.9 percent), blacks (12.6 percent), and Hispanics (9.7 percent). The jobless rate for teenagers was unchanged at 20.8 percent. The unemployment rate for Asians was 6.2 percent in January, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.) Among the unemployed, the number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs increased to 7.0 million in January. This measure has grown by 3.2 million during the last 12 months. (See table A-8.) The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 2.6 million in January. Over the past 12 months, the number of long-term unemployed was up by 1.3 million. The number of persons unemployed less than 5 weeks rose to 3.7 million in January. (See table A-9.) Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data) The civilian labor force participation rate, at 65.5 percent in January, has edged down in recent months. The employment-population ratio declined by 0.5 percentage point to 60.5 percent over the month, and by 2.4 percentage points over the year. (See table A-1.) The number of persons who worked part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was essentially unchanged in January at 7.8 million; however, this measure was up by 3.1 million over the past 12 months. Included in this category are persons who would like to work full time but were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find full-time jobs. (See table A-5.) Persons Not in the Labor Force (Household Survey Data) About 2.1 million persons (not seasonally adjusted) were marginally attached to the labor force in January, about 400,000 more than 12 months earlier. These individuals wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. Among the marginally attached, there were 734,000 discouraged workers in January, up by about 270,000 from a year earlier. Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The other 1.4 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in January had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities. (See table A-13.) Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data) Total nonfarm payroll employment fell sharply (-598,000) in January. Since the recession began in December 2007, 3.6 million jobs have been lost, with about half of the decrease occurring in the last 3 months. In January, employment declined in nearly all major industries, while health care and private education added jobs. (See table B-1.) 4 Manufacturing employment fell by 207,000 in January, the largest 1-month decline since October 1982. In January, durable goods manufacturing lost 157,000 jobs, with notable decreases in fabricated metal products (-37,000), motor vehicles and parts (-31,000), and machinery (-22,000). Employment in nondurable goods manufacturing declined by 50,000 over the month. Construction lost 111,000 jobs in January. Employment in the industry has fallen by about 1.0 million since peaking in January 2007. Employment fell across most component industries over the month. The temporary help industry lost 76,000 jobs in January. Since its recent peak in December 2006, temporary help employment has declined by 695,000. Professional and technical services lost 29,000 jobs in January. Retail trade employment fell by 45,000 in January and by 592,000 since a peak in November 2007. In January, employment declined in automobile dealerships (-14,000), building material and garden supply stores (-10,000), department stores (-9,000), and furniture and home furnishing stores (-7,000). Over the month, wholesale trade employment fell by 31,000. Transportation and warehousing lost 44,000 jobs in January and 202,000 since the start of the recession. Most of the decline occurred over the last 5 months. In January, employment fell in truck transportation (-25,000), support activities for transportation (-9,000), and couriers and messengers (-4,000). Employment in financial activities declined by 42,000 over the month and by 388,000 since a peak in December 2006. In January, job losses occurred in securities, commodity contracts, and investments (-15,000) and in credit intermediation (-10,000). Health care employment continued to trend up in January with a gain of 19,000. Employment gains in the industry averaged 30,000 a month in 2008. Employment in private education rose by 33,000 over the month. The change in total nonfarm employment for November was revised from -584,000 to -597,000, and the change for December was revised from -524,000 to -577,000. Monthly revisions result from additional sample reports and the monthly recalculation of seasonal factors. This month, the annual benchmarking process also contributed to these revisions. Weekly Hours (Establishment Survey Data) In January, the average workweek for production and nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.3 hours, seasonally adjusted. Both the manufacturing workweek and factory overtime decreased by 0.1 hour over the month, to 39.8 and 2.9 hours, respectively. (See table B-2.) The index of aggregate weekly hours of production and nonsupervisory workers on nonfarm payrolls fell by 0.7 percent in January. The manufacturing index declined by 2.1 percent over the month. (See table B-5.) Hourly and Weekly Earnings (Establishment Survey Data) In January, average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 5 cents, or 0.3 percent, seasonally adjusted. This followed gains of 7 cents in December and 6 cents in 5 November. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings increased by 3.9 percent, and average weekly earnings rose by 2.7 percent. (See table B-3.) ______________________________ The Employment Situation for February 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday, March 6, at 8:30 A.M. 6 Revisions to Establishment Survey Data In accordance with annual practice, the establishment survey data have been revised to reflect comprehensive universe counts of payroll jobs, or benchmarks. These counts are derived principally from unemployment insurance tax records compiled by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program for March 2008. As a result of the benchmark process, all not seasonally adjusted data series were subject to revision from April 2007 forward, the time period since the last benchmark was established. In addition, with this release, the seasonally adjusted establishment survey data from January 2004 forward were subject to revision due to the introduction of updated seasonal adjustment factors. Table B presents revised total nonfarm employment data on a seasonally adjusted basis for January through December 2008. The revised data for April 2008 forward incorporate the effect of applying the rate of change measured by the sample to the new benchmark level, as well as updated net business birth/death model adjustments and new seasonal adjustment factors. The November and December 2008 revisions also reflect the routine incorporation of additional sample receipts into the November final and December second preliminary estimates. The total nonfarm employment level for March 2008 was revised downward by 89,000 (17,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis). The previously published level for December 2008 was revised downward by 172,000 (311,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis). An article that discusses the benchmark and post-benchmark revisions, as well as all revised historical Current Employment Statistics (CES) data, can be accessed through the CES homepage at Information on the revisions released today also may be obtained by calling (202) 691-6555. Revisions in total nonfarm employment, January-December 2008, seasonally adjusted (In thousands) 2008 January... 138,002 138,080 -76 -72 4 February... 137,919 137,936 -83 -144 -61 March... 137,831 137,814 -88 -122 -34 April.... 137,764 137,654 -67 -160 -93 May.... 137,717 137,517 -47 -137 -90 June.... 137,617 137,356 -100 -161 -61 July.... 137,550 137,228 -67 -128 -61 August... 137,423 137,053 -127 -175 -48 September... 137,020 136,732 -403 -321 82 October... 136,597 136,352 -423 -380 43 November... 136,013 135,755 -584 -597 -13 December p. 135,489 135,178 -524 -577 -53 p = preliminary. Levels Over-the-month changes Year and month As previously published As revised As previously published As revised Difference 7 Adjustments to Population Estimates for the Household Survey Effective with data for January 2009, updated population estimates have been used in the household survey. Population estimates for the household survey are developed by the U.S. Census Bureau. Each year, the Census Bureau updates the estimates to reflect new information and assumptions about the growth of the population during the decade. The change in population reflected in the new estimates results primarily from adjustments for net international migration, updated vital statistics information, and some methodological changes in the estimation process. In accordance with our usual practice, BLS will not revise the official household survey estimates for December 2008 and earlier months. To show the impact of the population adjustment, however, differences in selected December 2008 labor force series based on the old and new population estimates are shown in table C. The adjustment decreased the estimated size of the civilian noninstitutional population in December by 483,000, the civilian labor force by 449,000, and employment by 407,000; the new population estimates had a negligible impact on unemployment rates and other percentage estimates. Data users are cautioned that these annual population adjustments affect the comparability of household data series over time. Estimates of large levels, such as total labor force and employment are impacted most. Table D shows the effect of the introduction of new population estimates on the changes in selected labor force measures between December 2008 and January 2009. More detailed information on the population adjustments and their effect on national labor force estimates are available at Table C. Effect of the updated population controls on December 2008 estimates by sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, not seasonally adjusted (Numbers in thousands) Category Total Men White Asian Civilian noninstitutional population -483 -295 -188 -242 -43 -170 -319 Civilian labor force -449 -289 -160 -267 -38 -121 -264 Employed -407 -260 -146 -239 -33 -116 -238 Unemployed -42 -28 -14 -28 -5 -6 -27 Unemployment rate.0.0.0.0.0.0.0 Women Black or African American Hispanic or Latino ethnicity NOTE: Detail for men and women may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. December 2008-January 2009 changes in selected labor force measures, with adjustments for population control effects (Numbers in thousands) Category TOTAL Civilian noninstitutional population -296 -483 187 Civilian labor force -731 -449 -282 Participation rate.2.1.1 Employed -1,239 -407 -832 Employment-population ratio.5.0.5 Unemployed 508 -42 550 Unemployment rate.4.0.4 2009 population control effect Dec.-Jan. Change, as published Dec.-Jan. Change, after removing the population control effect 1 1 This Dec.-Jan. Change is calculated by subtracting the population control effect from the published overthe- month change. 9 Frequently Asked Questions about Employment and Unemployment Estimates Why are there two monthly measures of employment? The household survey and establishment survey both produce sample-based estimates of employment and both have strengths and limitations. The establishment survey employment series has a smaller margin of error on the measurement of month-to-month change than the household survey because of its much larger sample size. An over-the-month employment change of 107,000 is statistically significant in the establishment survey, while the threshold for a statistically significant change in the household survey is about 400,000. However, the household survey has a more expansive scope than the establishment survey because it includes the self-employed, unpaid family workers, agricultural workers, and private household workers, who are excluded by the establishment survey. The household survey also provides estimates of employment for demographic groups. Are undocumented immigrants counted in the surveys? Neither the establishment nor household survey is designed to identify the legal status of workers. Thus, while it is likely that both surveys include at least some undocumented immigrants, it is not possible to determine how many are counted in either survey. The household survey does include questions about whether respondents were born outside the United States. Data from these questions show that foreign-born workers accounted for 15.7 percent of the labor force in 2007 and 47.7 percent of the net increase in the labor force from 2000 to 2007. Why does the establishment survey have revisions? The establishment survey revises published estimates to improve its data series by incorporating additional information that was not available at the time of the initial publication of the estimates. The establishment survey revises its initial monthly estimates twice, in the immediately succeeding 2 months, to incorporate additional sample receipts from respondents in the survey and recalculated seasonal adjustment factors. For more information on the monthly revisions, please visit On an annual basis, the establishment survey incorporates a benchmark revision that re-anchors estimates to nearly complete employment counts available from unemployment insurance tax records. The benchmark helps to control for sampling and modeling errors in the estimates. For more information on the annual benchmark revision, please visit Does the establishment survey sample include small firms? Yes; about 40 percent of the establishment survey sample is comprised of business establishments with fewer than 20 employees. The establishment survey sample is designed to maximize the reliability of the total nonfarm employment estimate; firms from all size classes and industries are appropriately sampled to achieve that goal. Does the establishment survey account for employment from new businesses? Yes; monthly establishment survey estimates include an adjustment to account for the net employment change generated by business births and deaths. The adjustment comes from an econometric model that forecasts the monthly net jobs impact of business births and deaths based on the actual past 10 values of the net impact that can be observed with a lag from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. The establishment survey uses modeling rather than sampling for this purpose because the survey is not immediately able to bring new businesses into the sample. There is an unavoidable lag between the birth of a new firm and its appearance on the sampling frame and availability for selection. BLS adds new businesses to the survey twice a year. Is the count of unemployed persons limited to just those people receiving unemployment insurance benefits? No; the estimate of unemployment is based on a monthly sample survey of households. All persons who are without jobs and are actively seeking and available to work are included among the unemployed. (People on temporary layoff are included even if they do not actively seek work.) There is no requirement or question relating to unemployment insurance benefits in the monthly survey. Does the official unemployment rate exclude people who have stopped looking for work? Yes; however, there are separate estimates of persons outside the labor force who want a job, including those who have stopped looking because they believe no jobs are available (discouraged workers). In addition, alternative measures of labor underutilization (discouraged workers and other groups not officially counted as unemployed) are published each month in the Employment Situation news release. Technical Note This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current Population Survey (household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics survey (establishment survey). The household survey provides the information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears in the A tables, marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The establishment survey provides the information on the employment, hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls that appears in the B tables, marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. This information is collected from payroll records by BLS in cooperation with state agencies. The sample includes about 160,000 businesses and government agencies covering approximately 400,000 individual worksites. The active sample includes about one-third of all nonfarm payroll workers. The sample is drawn from a sampling frame of unemployment insurance tax accounts. For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week or pay period. In the household survey, the reference week is generally the calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period including the 12th, which may or may not correspond directly to the calendar week. Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire civilian noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of questions on work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over in a sample household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force. People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid employees during the reference week; worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours in a family business or farm. People are also counted as employed if they were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal reasons. People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following criteria: They had no employment during the reference week; they were available for work at that time; and they made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference week. Persons laid off from a job and expecting recall need not be looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The unemployment data derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the eligibility for or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits. The civilian labor force is the sum of employed and unemployed persons. Those not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the labor force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent of the labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the employed as a percent of the population. Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm payrolls are those who received pay for any part of the reference pay period, including persons on paid leave. Persons are counted in each job they hold. Hours and earnings data are for private businesses and relate only to production workers in the goods-producing sector and nonsupervisory workers in the service-providing sector. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2007 version of the North American Industry Classification System. Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and methodological differences between the household and establishment surveys result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from the surveys. Among these are: • The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed. These groups are excluded from the establishment survey. • The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the employed. The establishment survey does not. • The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older. The establishment survey is not limited by age. • The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus appearing on more than one payroll would be counted separately for each appearance. Seasonal adjustment Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the levels of employment and unemployment undergo sharp fluctuations due to such seasonal events as changes in weather, reduced or expanded production, harvests, major holidays, and the opening and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal variation can be very large; seasonal fluctuations may account for as much as 95 percent of the month-to-month changes in unemployment. Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year, their influence on statistical trends can be eliminated by adjusting the statistics from month to month. These adjustments make nonseasonal developments, such as declines in economic activity or increases in the participation of women in the labor force, easier to spot. For example, the large number of youth entering the labor force each June is likely to obscure any other changes that have taken place relative to May, making it difficult to determine if the level of economic activity has risen or declined. However, because the effect of students finishing school in previous years is known, the statistics for the current year can be adjusted to allow for a comparable change. Insofar as the seasonal adjustment is made correctly, the adjusted figure provides a more useful tool with which to analyze changes in economic activity. Most seasonally adjusted series are independently adjusted in both the household and establishment surveys. However, the adjusted series for many major estimates, such as total payroll employment, employment in most supersectors, total employment, and unemployment are computed by aggregating independently adjusted component series. For example, total unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four major age-sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration, reasons, or more detailed age categories. For both the household and establishment surveys, a concurrent seasonal adjustment methodology is used in which new seasonal factors are calculated each month, using all relevant data, up to and including the data for the current month. In the household survey, new seasonal factors are used to adjust only the current month's data. In the establishment survey, however, new seasonal factors are used each month to adjust the three most recent monthly estimates. In both surveys, revisions to historical data are made once a year. Reliability of the estimates Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the 'true' population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90- percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the 'true' population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total employment from the household survey is on the order of plus or minus 430,000. Suppose the estimate of total employment increases by 100,000 from one month to the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the monthly change would range from -330,000 to 530,000 (100,000 +/- 430,000). These figures do not mean that the sample results are off by these magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent chance that the 'true' over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this range includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that employment had, in fact, increased. If, however, the reported employment rise was half a million, then all of the values within the 90- percent confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely (at least a 90-percent chance) that an employment rise had, in fact, occurred. At an unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent, the 90-percent confidence interval for the monthly change in unemployment is about +/-280,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment rate it is about +/.19 percentage point. In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have lower standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates which are based on a small number of observations. The precision of estimates is also improved when the data are cumulated over time such as for quarterly and annual averages. The seasonal adjustment process can also improve the stability of the monthly estimates. The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information on a timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2 months are based on incomplete returns; for this reason, these estimates are labeled preliminary in the tables. It is only after two successive revisions to a monthly estimate, when nearly all sample reports have been received, that the estimate is considered final. Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is the inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new firms. To correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth, an estimation procedure with two components is used to account for business births. The first component uses business deaths to impute employment for business births. This is incorporated into the sample-based link relative estimate procedure by simply not reflecting sample units going out of business, but imputing to them the same trend as the other firms in the sample. The second component is an ARIMA time series model designed to estimate the residual net birth/death employment not accounted for by the imputation. The historical time series used to create and test the ARIMA model was derived from the unemployment insurance universe micro-level database, and reflects the actual residual net of births and deaths over the past 5 years. The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted once a year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment obtained from administrative records of the unemployment insurance program. The difference between the March sample-based employment estimates and the March universe counts is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a rough proxy for total survey error. The new benchmarks also incorporate changes in the classification of industries. Over the past decade, absolute benchmark revisions for total nonfarm employment have averaged 0.2 percent, with a range from 0.1 percent to 0.6 percent. Other information Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877- 8339. Chicago (02/05) - Under a new federal law that took effect on November 21, 2008, up to 33 weeks’ worth of emergency unemployment compensation (EUC) benefits are available for eligible individuals. Previously, individuals could only receive up to 13 weeks’ worth of EUC benefits. How do I file for the Extension? When your regular benefits run out, an extended benefits claim (EUC 08) will automatically be established in most cases. Once this claim is established, you will receive a 'findings' letter indicating your eligibility for the extension. In some situations where your benefit year is ending, you will receive a notice to report to your local office to determine your entitlement to Extended Benefits. Payment Options for Unemployment Insurance Benefits Effective November 1, 2008, Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits are now paid through a debit card, unless you elect to receive payment by direct deposit to a checking or savings account. Before any benefits can be paid on a new claim, you must serve a non-paid 'waiting week'. Electronic payments made to eligible individuals are generally available within 2-3 business days of certification. Important note: Debit cards are mailed automatically, and you may initially be issued a debit card even if you applied for direct deposit. If you receive a debit card, you should activate and use it until direct deposit is started. Please sign up for direct deposit online (this is preferred by IDES), to avoid lengthy processing times. A Username and Password are necessary for this service, and they are CASE SENSITIVE. The Internet Explorer browser 6.0 with cookies enabled is required for access. When logging in, use the Username and Password you established if you filed your claim via the Internet; OR If your claim was NOT filed via the Internet, proceed to the Login screen and click ‘Register’ to obtain a Username and Password|. Alton (618) 466-8221 90 North Port Drive Alton Arlington Heights (847) 981-7400 723 West Algonquin Rd Arlington Heights Belleville (618) 277-5678 4519 West Main Belleville Bloomington (309) 827-6237 207 East Hamilton Rd Bloomington Bolingbrook (630) 759-0647 321 Quadrangle Dr Bolingbrook Burbank (708) 458-0500 5608 West 75th Place Burbank Centralia (618) 532-4741 325 South Poplar Street - P.O. Box 825 Centralia Champaign (217) 278-5700 1307 North Mattis Avenue - P.O.
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