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Being unemployed is not something that is easy for anyone, and the older a person becomes, the more difficult it becomes to seek new employment. Of course, there is a temporary reprieve with the distribution of Oregon Unemployment Insurance benefits, but this does not compare to what a person made before becoming unemployed. Each state differs in maximum weekly benefit amounts, but with Oregon Unemployment, the most you can receive per week is $434 for twenty-six weeks (six months). The weekly benefit amount to which you are entitled is based on your earnings for twelve month period during what is called the 'base period,' which is the first four of the last five quarters. A person who previously made $1,500 per month would be entitled to a benefit for approximately $225 per week, or a little more than 65% of what was earned prior to the job loss.
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Although there is no doubt that amounts collected from Oregon Unemployment Insurance are helpful, they are not, even in the best of circumstances, able to replace the income that you were earning, nor is it meant to do that.
Like other states, Oregon Unemployment has a set of qualifying factors. In order to be eligible to collect benefits from Oregon Unemployment, you must not fall into one of the following categories:
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- Quitting your job without a good reason
- Being discharged or suspended for work-related misconduct
- Turning down a job offer without good cause
- Failing to apply for suitable work when referred by the Employment Division
If you become disqualified after filing your claim, you must earn wages of four times your benefit amount in order to requalify. In addition, an amount equal to eight times your benefit amount will be deducted from the total amount of Oregon Unemployment benefits that you are allowed to collect for that year. In other words, if your benefit amount is $300 weekly, you are allowed to collect for a given year is $7,800. If you become disqualified for benefits, you will not only have to earn $1,200 to requalify, you will lose $2,400, making the total you can collect from Oregon Unemployment for the year $5,400 instead of $7,800.
Oregon Unemployment rules are stringent when it comes to disqualifications, but at the same time, it is an incentive to return to full-time work rather than to reply on Oregon Unemployment. According to statistics compiled in 2004 by InfoUSA, the following are the Top 20 employers in the State of Oregon:
These employers are listed as the largest in the State of Oregon based on the number of employees with 8,500 being the largest and 2,228 for the last one on the list. Also, based on statistics compiled by the Oregon Department of Labor, the top occupations in the State of Oregon, based on number of employees, is as follows:
- Pharmacy Technician
- Dental Laboratory Technician
- Medical Equipment preparers
- Pharmacists
- Physical Therapy Aides
- Dental Assistants
- Dental Hygienists
- Physical Therapists assistants
- Physician's Assistants
- Registered Nurses
- Respiratory Therapy Technicians
- Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
- Diagnostic Medical sonographers
- Medical Records and health information technicians
- Medical transcriptionists
- Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants
- Pest control workers
- Physical therapists
- Home health aides
- Licenses practical and vocational nurses
- Medical and clinical laboratory technicians
- Medical assistants
- Meeting and convention planners
- Nuclear medicine technologists
- Occupational Therapists Assistant
In spite of the number of large employers in the State of Oregon, the Oregon Unemployment in 2000 was the 13th highest at 6.5%, and just four years later, in January of 2004, the Oregon Unemployment rate was 7.7%, and in February of the same year, the Oregon Unemployment rate was adjusted to 7.1%, the lowest it had been since August of 2001 when the Oregon Unemployment rate was 6.8%. The large numbers of workers that depend on Oregon Unemployment impact not just the workforce as a whole, but the entire basis of the economy.
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When a large number of people are unemployed at the same time, it has to have an impact on the economy. The same is true for Oregon Unemployment with their high rate of unemployed. One must look at this from an economic standpoint meaning that if many people are on Oregon Unemployment, there is going to be less money flowing back into the tax system and the economy in general. Any time people earn less money, there is going to be less in the way of disposable income, and purchase will be kept to a minimum.
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Sometimes the solution to the Oregon Unemployment is additional training for displaced workers. These programs are available either through the State Employment office or often times through programs such as Welfare to Work for those workers who have exhausted their Oregon Unemployment benefits and must rely on public assistance until locating another job. With Oregon Unemployment being at such a high rate, there may be no solution for unskilled workers other than additional training so that they can expand their options. Even for older workers who have performed the same job for many years, the Oregon unemployment crisis may leave them no other choice but to enter into one of the state subsidized training programs in order to learn a new trade or skill that will afford them the opportunity to enter a different career path.
For those who are not of physical or mental capacity to consider learning something new in their current situation, the Oregon Unemployment office will be able to put them in touch with the Vocational Rehabilitation Office in their area who can assist with training them for a job that will allow them to work with their disability. For anyone who wants to work, there is a way to accomplish that, even in the State of Oregon with its high rate of unemployed.
Telephone: 503-947-1488
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