IDES Offices Closed July 4

                      Illinois Department of Employment Security

                      (IDES) offices will close Monday, July 4, in

                      observance of Independence Day. Services will be

                      available at the website. Claimants scheduled to

                      certify for benefits should do so. Regular office

                      hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. will resume Tuesday,

                      July 5.

                      Illinois has added 107,000 jobs so far this year and

                      more than any state in the Midwest. In May, the

                      seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.9

                      percent. The rate has fallen in 15 of the past 16

                      months.  The unemployment rate identifies those who

                      are out of work and looking for work regardless if

                      they are eligible for unemployment insurance. A

                      person not collecting unemployment benefits still

                      will be reflected in the unemployment rate if they

                      continue to look for work.

                      Although IDES offices will be closed, services are

                      available at the website. People still will be able

                      to file for first-time unemployment benefits, certify

                      for benefits which is necessary to receive payment,

                      and switch that method of payment to direct deposit.

                      The website is www.ides.illinois.gov The IDES will

                      process customer certifications on Monday. Because

                      Monday is a federal banking holiday, the availability

                      of some benefit payments might be delayed. The IDES

                      does not determine federal banking holidays.

                      The IDES supports economic stability by administering

                      unemployment benefits, collecting business

                      contributions to fund those benefits, connecting

                      employers with qualified job seekers, and providing

                      economic information to assist career planning and

                      economic development. It does so through nearly 60

                      offices across the state, including the Illinois

                      workNet Centers. Services for Illinois workers

                      include assistance to identify how current skills

                      might be augmented through training or schooling in

                      an effort to qualify for a new job or switch careers.

                      For businesses, the Department administers tax

                      credits and bonding programs to reward employers who

                      hire specific workers, such as military veterans and

                      the formerly incarcerated.