An estimated 65,000 Illinois residents currently receiving unemployment benefits stand to lose their payments by the first week in March if Congress doesn’t authorize another extension before Feb. 27. According to the National Employment Law Project. 
Another 290,000 unemployed workers will lose their benefits by June.

The federal government funded several tiers of unemployment extensions, totaling 73 weeks, on top of the state’s regular 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. The federal funding was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and was set to expire Dec. 31, but Congress crammed a two-month extension into a military spending bill. That funding authorization expires Feb. 28.

You should contact your Representative, tell them your concerns, let them know how this will affect your family, and how it will affect your voting and your neighbors voting.  Remember Democracy

• Bean, Melissa L., Illinois, 8th
• Biggert, Judy, Illinois, 13th
• Costello, Jerry, Illinois, 12th
• Davis, Danny K., Illinois, 7th
• Gutierrez, Luis, Illinois, 4th
• Foster, Bill, Illinois, 14th
• Hare, Phil, Illinois, 17th
• Halvorson, Deborah "Debbie", Illinois, 11th
• Jackson Jr., Jesse L., Illinois, 2nd
• Johnson, Timothy V., Illinois, 15th
• Kirk, Mark, Illinois, 10th
• Lipinski, Daniel, Illinois, 3rd
• Manzullo, Donald, Illinois, 16th
• Quigley, Mike, Illinois, 5th
• Roskam, Peter J., Illinois, 6th
• Rush, Bobby L., Illinois, 1st
• Schakowsky, Jan, Illinois, 9th
• Schock, Aaron, Illinois, 18th
• Shimkus, John, Illinois, 19th

Possibly Related Posts:

• Illinois Skills Match Web Site
• Illinois Skills Match Offices

The first step in the process is to enter your work preferences and other information. After that, a list of jobs that match your qualifications is displayed. The system displays only jobs that meet every requirement you have. This can save you from spending hours at a time going through jobs that don’t meet your needs. If you’re seeing too many or not enough jobs, you can just modify your requirements to get a new job listing.

You tell the system your salary requirements as well as what types of shifts you are looking for. You can also provide a zip code and tell the system how far you are willing to commute every day. The system provides you the opportunity to answer questions about your computer skills. After that, you can select a n occupational category and supply more detailed information about your skills. Depending on how fast you are, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to complete your profile so be sure to allow yourself plenty of time.

Thankfully, you don’t need to worry about having to provide your criteria again. The system will save your information in what is called a ‘job search’ agent. This agent will do your work for you by looking for jobs even when you’re not at the computer. So, you can be running errands or following up on job leads and still be searching for jobs.

You can customize the Illinois Skills Match system so it works the way you need it to. You are in control of what information you provide to the employer. You decide if the employer will contact you directly or if you want to use the State of Illinois Employment Service as a middle man. You receive an email or other communication when an employer indicates they are interested in you.

If you are an employer, you can count on the Illinois Skills Match system to help you find qualified workers. You can search for employees on your time since the system is available around the clock. The first thing you do is identify what the requirements of the job are and what skill sets you are looking for. You can decide if you want to obtain employees yourself, whether you want help from Employment Service, or whether you want to divide the workload.

The system gives you the ability to filter out candidates based on the needs of your business. You can even include skills that are not requirements but are things you are wanting. Then, you can see who all matches your criteria. Only employees who match your exact criteria will be shown, saving you the time of having to wade through unqualified applicants.

Go to www.illinoisskillsmatch.com and you can access help for job seekers.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Keep Illinois from losing unemployment benefits
• Illinois Skills Match Offices

The Illinois Skills Match services are aimed at adults (over 18), and provide a lot free services to those career seakers. The Illinois Skills Match Career Centers are a highlight for anyone seeking work in Illinois.

Several services that Illinois Skills Match offers are
– Free computer access to search for jobs
– information and guidance on New career paths
– Help in updating/creating new resumes
– Assistance in the best places to find new jobs
– Government resources on training and education

To find the Illinois Skills Match Career Center nearest you, visit one of the many Illinois Skills Match Offices in your state

Possibly Related Posts:

• Keep Illinois from losing unemployment benefits
• Illinois Skills Match Web Site