Oregon Employment Department
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News Releases
Media Advisory: Oregon Employment Department to host Media Briefing March 20, 2024 - 03/18/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
March 18, 2024 

Media Contact:  
Communications@employ.oregon.gov   


***MEDIA ADVISORY*** 

Oregon Employment Department to Host  
Media Briefing Wednesday, March 20, 1 p.m. 
 

WHO:                 Karen Madden Humelbaugh, Paid Leave Oregon director; Lindsi Leahy, Unemployment Insurance director; David Gerstenfeld, Oregon Employment Department director 

WHEN:             Wednesday, 1 p.m., March 20, 2024 

WHAT:              The Oregon Employment Department is hosting a video-conference media briefing to share data from the Paid Leave Oregon program and updates on the rollout of Unemployment Insurance benefits in Frances Online.  

WHERE:          Via Zoom video conference: Members of the media must RSVP by emailing Communications@employ.oregon.gov by noon on Wednesday, March 20. We will provide video conference login information to all reporters who RSVP. RSVPs must indicate if the reporter wants to ask a question of the presenters. 
 
After the briefing concludes, we will email the link to the video recording to reporters who RSVP’d. 

OTHER:           The Oregon Employment Department updates its agency dashboard each week. Visit oregon.gov/employ/NewsAndMedia for our latest news releases, video and audio clips, and the latest data for Unemployment Insurance, WorkSource Oregon, and Paid Leave Oregon.  

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The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. OED provides free help so you can use our services. Some examples are sign language and spoken-language interpreters, written materials in other languages, large print, audio, and other formats. To get help, please call 503-947-1444. TTY users call 711. You can also send an email to communications@employ.oregon.gov.

El Departamento de Empleo de Oregon (OED) es una agencia de igualdad de oportunidades. El OED proporciona ayuda gratuita para que usted pueda utilizar nuestros servicios. Algunos ejemplos son intérpretes de lengua de señas e idiomas hablados, materiales escritos en otros idiomas, letra grande, audio y otros formatos. Para obtener ayuda, por favor llame al 503-947-1444. Usuarios de TTY pueden llamar al 711. También puede enviar un correo electrónico a communications@employ.oregon.gov.

Attached Media Files: 3.20_Briefing_Advisory.pdf
Media Advisory: OED to host media briefing on March 13 - 03/11/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

March 11, 2024  

Media Contact:   

Communications@employ.oregon.gov    

 
***MEDIA ADVISORY*** 
  

Oregon Employment Department to Host   
Media Briefing Wednesday, March 13, 1 p.m.  
 

WHO: Lindsi Leahy, Unemployment Insurance director  

WHEN: Wednesday, 1 p.m., March 13, 2024  

WHAT: The Oregon Employment Department is hosting a video-conference media briefing to share updates on the rollout of Unemployment Insurance benefits in Frances Online.   

WHERE: Via Zoom video conference: Members of the media must RSVP by emailing Communications@employ.oregon.gov by noon on Wednesday, March 13. We will provide video conference login information to all reporters who RSVP. RSVPs must indicate if the reporter wants to ask a question of the presenters.   
  
After the briefing concludes, we will email a recording of the video conference to reporters who RSVP’d.  

OTHER: The Oregon Employment Department updates its agency dashboard each week. Visit oregon.gov/employ/NewsAndMedia for our latest news releases, video and audio clips, and the latest data for Unemployment Insurance, WorkSource Oregon, and Paid Leave Oregon.   

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The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. OED provides free help so you can use our services. Some examples are sign language and spoken-language interpreters, written materials in other languages, large print, audio, and other formats. To get help, please call 503-947-1444. TTY users call 711. You can also send an email to communications@employ.oregon.gov. 

El Departamento de Empleo de Oregon (OED) es una agencia de igualdad de oportunidades. El OED proporciona ayuda gratuita para que usted pueda utilizar nuestros servicios. Algunos ejemplos son intérpretes de lengua de señas e idiomas hablados, materiales escritos en otros idiomas, letra grande, audio y otros formatos. Para obtener ayuda, por favor llame al 503-947-1444. Usuarios de TTY pueden llamar al 711. También puede enviar un correo electrónico a communications@employ.oregon.gov. 

Press Release: Oregon Employment Department UI Benefits Go-Live in Frances - 03/06/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: communications@employ.oregon.gov

 

Oregon Launches New Online System for 
Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Frances Online will provide better online customer service for people filing 
unemployment insurance claims

MARCH 6, 2024 (SALEM, ORE.) – The Oregon Employment Department (OED) launched a brand new, easy-to-use online system for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits this week. UI benefits went live through Frances Online on Mon., March 4. 

“Frances Online is modernizing customer service for Oregonians filing for Unemployment Insurance benefits,” Governor Kotek said. “This is a step in the right direction for the State of Oregon. While there may be bumps in the road as we adjust to the new system, the Employment Department is ready to respond to issues quickly and make necessary adjustments.”  

Preliminary data for Monday and Tuesday shows that:

  • More than 23,000 weekly claims have been received from existing customers
  • More than $8.1 million dollars in claims have been paid through Frances Online
  • The average time for customers filing weekly claims was just under 11 minutes on desktop computers and under 9 minutes on mobile devices.

“The new system is mobile-friendly and will help streamline our work on UI claims so customers can get their benefits paid more efficiently,” said David Gerstenfeld, director of OED. “We are proud to be delivering on our promise to modernize our technology systems. We believe it will address a lot of the pain points customers and OED employees have previously experienced.” 

What Current Claimants Need to Know

Current claimants need to take two important actions to use the new system:

  1. Create a Frances Online account at frances.oregon.gov. If they have an active claim or applied for benefits in our old legacy systems but their claim is still being reviewed, information about their claim will appear in their new Frances Online account. If they have an account in Frances Online because they claimed benefits from Paid Leave Oregon, they do not need to set up a new account.  
  2. File their weekly claim at frances.oregon.gov/claimant. Claimants can now file for the week of February 25-March 2. If they did not file a weekly claim for the week of February 18-24 and they are seeking benefits for that week, they can still claim that week using Frances Online. They will be able to file all future weekly claims using Frances Online going forward. 

Customer Service Tips 

The agency anticipates high call volumes at the UI Contact Center. Current claimants are encouraged to use self-serve features available through Frances Online. Other tips:

  • Check U.S. mail and email daily and respond quickly to requests for information. Also check email spam filters. Some information will still have to come by U.S. mail, even if claimants select to get email alerts. Letters and emails may have due dates for responding. If claimants miss due dates, their benefits could be delayed or denied. Uploading documents is easier in the new system. 
  • Check online before calling the UI Contact Center. Many questions can now be resolved quickly through the new self-serve features in Frances Online. 
  • Review and continue to follow UI eligibility rules. This will help avoid a disruption in receiving benefits. 
  • Check out tutorials and how-to guides on navigating Frances Online at unemployment.oregon.gov/frances.
  • Know where you can get help. Customer service is available at Frances Online () via secure messaging, live chat, chatbot and the Contact Us form. 

The agency says there will be a learning curve for employees and claimants for the next few months. OED has hired 40 additional staff with one-time funding to support the transition.

“Frances Online is more agile and efficient,” said Lindsi Leahy, director of the UI Division at OED. “We expect that the system will work well for most and that a small number of claimants will experience issues. We will continue providing a more staff-intensive level of customer service for those who need it.” 

Like other states that have launched new UI systems, the state may see an uptick in fraudulent claims. Leahy stressed that the new system is more resilient and has enhanced fraud protection features that will better protect UI benefits. Leahy also reminded consumers that Frances Online is free to use, and OED will never call a customer to ask for customers to pay to use any of OED’s services. If customers get a suspicious piece of mail, call or text, or see a questionable website or link, they should visit OED’s webpage on fraud for more information and a link to reporting fraud. 

The addition of UI benefits to Frances Online is the final stage of the state’s approximately $106 million effort to modernize its online customer service systems. Paid Leave Oregon launched in Frances Online in 2023 and employer contributions for UI and Paid Leave launched in 2022.

The name Frances was chosen in honor of Frances Perkins, who was born in 1880 and was a lifetime advocate for working Americans. She was the first female presidential Cabinet member and the longest-serving Secretary of Labor in U.S. history. Perkins was instrumental in forming the Social Security Act and the Unemployment Insurance program. 

Go to unemployment.oregon.gov/frances for more information and resources about Frances Online for UI benefits. 

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The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. OED provides free help so you can use our services. Some examples are sign language and spoken-language interpreters, written materials in other languages, large print, audio, and other formats. To get help, please call 503-947-1444. TTY users call 711. You can also send an email to communications@employ.oregon.gov.

El Departamento de Empleo de Oregon (OED) es una agencia de igualdad de oportunidades. El OED proporciona ayuda gratuita para que usted pueda utilizar nuestros servicios. Algunos ejemplos son intérpretes de lengua de señas e idiomas hablados, materiales escritos en otros idiomas, letra grande, audio y otros formatos. Para obtener ayuda, por favor llame al 503-947-1444. Usuarios de TTY pueden llamar al 711. También puede enviar un correo electrónico a communications@employ.oregon.gov.

Press Release: Oregon's Nonfarm Payroll Employment Drops by 4,900 in January - 03/05/24

In January, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 4,900 jobs, following a revised gain of 1,900 jobs in December. January’s losses were largest in professional and business services (-1,700 jobs); leisure and hospitality (-1,600); other services (-1,400), transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-1,200); and construction (-600). Gains in January were largest in health care and social assistance (+1,100 jobs) and manufacturing (+500). 

Over the most recent 12 months, jobs edged lower. Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 4,900 jobs, or -0.2%, between January 2023 and January 2024. The private sector cut 15,200 jobs, or -0.9%, over the most recent 12-month period. Job losses in four major industries stood out, each down by between 3,700 and 9,500 jobs. These industries are information; professional and business services; manufacturing; and retail trade. Five other major industries had smaller losses, between 700 and 2,200 jobs. In contrast, health care and social assistance is up 13,400 jobs, or 4.8%, while government is up 10,300 jobs, or 3.4%, in the 12 months through January. 

Annual revisions indicate less robust construction employment than originally estimated. Construction employed 116,700 in January, which was close to its headcount during each of the past 18 months. Professional and business services was also revised lower, showing that the industry contracted by 9,500 jobs, or -3.6%, in the most recent 12 months. Over-the-year job declines occurred in each of this major industry’s three components: administrative and waste services (-5,800 jobs); professional and technical services (-3,000); and management of companies and enterprises (-700). 

While Oregon’s job growth has been close to flat in the 12 months ending in January, with a decline of 0.2%, at the national level U.S. jobs grew by 1.9% and rose in every month of that period. 

Oregon’s unemployment rate was 4.1% in January and 4.0% in December. It has remained in a tight range between 3.4% and 4.2% for more than two years, back to October 2021. The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.7% in both December and January. 

Next Press Releases 
The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for February on Wednesday, March 20. County and metropolitan area unemployment rates for February will be released on Tuesday, March 26. 

Notes: 
All numbers in the above narrative are seasonally adjusted. 

The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly Oregon payroll employment and labor force data. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources. 

Technical Note: A type of employment classified as noncovered corporate officers, which is about 0.25% of private sector employment, was not included in total nonfarm employment counts for the months April 2022 through January 2024. This can affect industry comparisons of trends from months prior to April 2022 to months after. It does not impact this year’s current year-over-year or month-to-month trends in employment change. Noncovered corporate officers will be added back to the Official Oregon Series with the next benchmark revisions scheduled for release on May 15, 2024. 

The PDF version of the news release can be found at QualityInfo.org/press-release. To obtain the data in other formats such as in Excel, visit QualityInfo.org, select Tools, then choose LAUS or CES under the Economy header. To request the press release as a Word document, contact the person shown at the top of this press release. 

To file a claim for unemployment benefits or get more information about unemployment programs, visit unemployment.oregon.gov. 

The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. OED provides free help so you can use our services. Some examples are sign language and spokenlanguage interpreters, written materials in other languages, large print, audio, and other formats. To get help, please call 503-947-1444. TTY users call 711. You can also send an email to communications@employ.oregon.gov. 

El Departamento de Empleo de Oregon (OED) es una agencia de igualdad de oportunidades. El OED proporciona ayuda gratuita para que usted pueda utilizar nuestros servicios. Algunos ejemplos son intérpretes de lengua de señas e idiomas hablados, materiales escritos en otros idiomas, letra grande, audio y otros formatos. Para obtener ayuda, por favor llame al 503-947-1444. Usuarios de TTY pueden llamar al 711. También puede enviar un correo electrónico a communications@employ.oregon.gov.

Media Advisory: Oregon Employment Department to host Media Briefing Mar. 6, 2024 - 03/04/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
March 4, 2024 

Media Contact:  
Communications@employ.oregon.gov   

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Oregon Employment Department to Host  
Media Briefing March 6, 1 p.m. 

WHO:             
Gail Krumenauer, state employment economist, and Lindsi Leahy, Unemployment Insurance director 

WHEN:          
Wednesday, 1 p.m., March 6, 2024 

WHAT:           
The Oregon Employment Department is hosting a video-conference media briefing to share updates on economic and workforce-related trends in Oregon and the rollout of Unemployment Insurance benefits in Frances Online.  

WHERE:        
Via Zoom video conference: Members of the media must RSVP by emailing Communications@employ.oregon.gov by noon on Wednesday, March 6. We will provide video conference login information to all reporters who RSVP. RSVPs must indicate if the reporter wants to ask a question of the presenters.  
 
After the briefing concludes, we will email a recording of the video conference to reporters who RSVP’d. 

OTHER:         
The Oregon Employment Department updates unemployment insurance claims processing data each week. Visit unemployment.oregon.gov/media for weekly updates on claims. For updates on Paid Leave Oregon, visit paidleave.oregon.gov. For updates on modernization activities, visit francesinfo.oregon.gov

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The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. OED provides free help so you can use our services. Some examples are sign language and spoken-language interpreters, written materials in other languages, large print, audio, and other formats. To get help, please call 503-947-1444. TTY users call 711. You can also send an email to communications@employ.oregon.gov.

El Departamento de Empleo de Oregon (OED) es una agencia de igualdad de oportunidades. El OED proporciona ayuda gratuita para que usted pueda utilizar nuestros servicios. Algunos ejemplos son intérpretes de lengua de señas e idiomas hablados, materiales escritos en otros idiomas, letra grande, audio y otros formatos. Para obtener ayuda, por favor llame al 503-947-1444. Usuarios de TTY pueden llamar al 711. También puede enviar un correo electrónico a communications@employ.oregon.gov.

New Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits System Goes Live March 4 - 02/28/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Feb. 28, 2024 

Contact:  

communications@employ.oregon.gov  

 

New Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits System Goes Live March 4 

New system is expected to improve the overall online customer service experience for Oregonians filing for unemployment 

FEB. 28, 2024 (SALEM, ORE.) – The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is five days away from launching a brand new, easy-to-use online system for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits. UI benefits go live through Frances Online on Monday, March 4, at 8 a.m. 

Frances Online offers features that will provide a better customer service experience for UI claimants. It’s also mobile-friendly. Claimants will be able to do a lot more things online through self-serve features, instead of waiting for a letter in the mail or calling the UI Contact Center. 

“With Frances Online, we’ll be able to serve Oregonians better, and get their benefits paid quicker,” said David Gerstenfeld, director of OED. “We recognize that change can be challenging, but once we’re up and running, we believe claimants will appreciate all the changes that are coming.” 

Video of OED’s media briefing on Feb. 28, 2024 is available at: https://youtu.be/uaQMRkNFP34. 

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE PLANNED SERVICE OUTAGE  

The system migration begins tonight. Some services went offline last night, the Contact Center was closed today. And beginning at 5 p.m. tonight, all UI systems, phone lines and customer service options are temporarily unavailable through Monday, March 4, at 8 a.m. OED teams are working diligently to ensure a smooth transition and to restore all services on March 4. 

During the planned service outage, UI customers cannot: File an initial claim, file a weekly claim, restart a claim, check the status of a claim, or make changes to claim information; They also will not be able to make payments; Respond to requests for additional information; or complete identity verification. 

This system outage will allow OED to migrate the data from the old UI systems to Frances Online. Current UI customers who have ongoing claims will find that their information will be present in Frances Online when they create an account on or after March 4. 

“Frances Online is already serving employers and Paid Leave claimants,” said Lindsi Leahy, director of the Unemployment Insurance Division at OED. “We’re working diligently to ensure that the transition of UI benefits to this new system will be as seamless as possible for claimants.” 

Visit unemployment.oregon.gov/frances to learn about the new system, customer service impacts, new self-serve features, and what to expect on March 4. 

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The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. OED provides free help so you can use our services. Some examples are sign language and spoken-language interpreters, written materials in other languages, large print, audio, and other formats. To get help, please call 503-947-1444. TTY users call 711. You can also send an email to communications@employ.oregon.gov.