Latest news with #OregonEmploymentDepartment
Business Journals
14-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Oregon Work Share Program: Helping Employers Strategize, Not Downsize
When the economy shifts or business slows, Oregon employers can face the decision to lay off valued staff just to stay afloat. The Work Share program offers an alternative. Oregon's Work Share program is a tool employers can look at as an alternative to laying off valued employees. Finding, hiring, and training the right people for the right positions is time-consuming and expensive. From small boutiques to major manufacturers, Oregon's Work Share program has made an impact. It is a trusted resource for businesses to use year after year to retain their talented and dedicated staff, rather than laying off staff during slower periods. Oregon Employers Choose Work Share to: ● Retain skilled staff and avoid the disruption and costs of rehiring later ● Protect team morale by offering support during slowdowns ● Stay operational while reducing hours ● Ease financial pressure with partial unemployment benefits for employees Who Can Use Work Share: Work Share is available to Oregon employers who meet the following qualifications: ● Have at least three employees who are paid Oregon wages and qualify for an Oregon Unemployment Insurance Claim. ● You maintain your employees' health and retirement benefits during the plan Learn More: The Oregon Employment Department offers free webinars every Tuesday at 10 a.m. The sessions cover how Work Share works, eligibility requirements, the application process, and tips for supporting your team. You can also visit the Work Share website, or give us a call at 503-947-1800. If you are ready to hear about a program that helps hundreds of Oregon employers retain highly skilled staff instead of laying them off during economic downturns, reach out to Work Share today!
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More Oregonians are working multiple jobs, showing need for a stronger tax credit for workers
The earned income tax credit will help families, columnist Tyler Mac Innis argues. (Getty Images) 'No amount of budgeting right now is going to make up for the fact that we do not make enough to make a living,' says Ashley Salazar. She recently took on a second job, baking in the early hours of the morning before heading to a full-time job as a pharmacy technician. Ashley's story, featured in a recent KATU report, is an all-too-familiar refrain, especially at a time when the cost of living is rising and tariffs are supercharging the trend. In Oregon, there are thousands of Ashleys. That's why one of the best investments the Oregon legislature can make this session is to renew and expand the tax credit for working families, the Oregon Earned Income Tax Credit. It would give a boost to Ashley and hundreds of thousands of other hardworking families struggling to make ends meet. 'In 2024, 127,000 Oregonians held more than one job in addition to their primary job,' according to a recent report by the Oregon Employment Department. Six percent of Oregon workers worked multiple jobs last year. Even for many getting by on a single job, Ashley's story should feel familiar. The cost of affording basic needs continues to rise. Compared to other states, Oregonians spend the 8th most on groceries, according to a recent LendingTree report. Electric bills have soared in recent years, as much as 56 percent since 2021. And of course, the cost of housing is ever rising. A minimum wage worker in Oregon would need to work 74 hours a week just to afford a one-bedroom apartment, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. There is much to do to stem the tide of rising costs. But one proposal before the Oregon Legislature this session would help workers struggling to get by. House Bill 2958 would make much-needed improvements to Oregon's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is a refundable tax credit that boosts the after-tax income of workers. The federal version of the credit lifts 68,000 Oregonians, including 34,000 children, out of poverty each year. In turn, Oregon provides a match of the federal credit worth 9 percent for most families, and up to 12 percent for families with young children, putting additional cash into the pockets of hardworking families. Without action this session, Oregon's match of the federal EITC will disappear, as the tax credit is scheduled to expire. HB 2958 would not only renew Oregon's credit, but double the match available to eligible Oregonians. It would make Oregon's tax credit twice as impactful. Moreover, it would expand eligibility to childless workers under age 25 and older than 65, who are currently barred from claiming the credit even if their income would otherwise qualify them. HB 2958 recognizes that neither youth nor old age protects against economic insecurity, and that workers of any age may struggle to pay the bills. What kind of impact would HB 2958 have on a family? Consider what it would mean for a family with three kids living off the wages of a full-time minimum wage worker. Under HB 2958, their Oregon EITC would increase from about $840 to $1,750. That additional $910 may be enough to help a family confront a sudden crisis, like the need to make a car repair, or it might help them buy clothes and school supplies for the kids, or help them catch up on rent. Few bills before the Oregon Legislature this session stand to directly boost the incomes of Oregon workers like doubling the EITC would. Ashley and thousands of workers like her are already working their tails off in a valiant effort to just meet their basic needs. Oregon can ease a bit of their load by strengthening the tax credit for working families. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
12K+ Oregon taxpayers impacted by Employment Department tax form error
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – If you're an unemployed Oregonian who has received a tax form from the Oregon Employment Department, you may want to double-check that it doesn't have an error. The OED announced that at least 5% of the forms distributed in January for the 2024 tax year need to be updated — impacting at least 12,000 taxpayers in the state. Amtrak Cascades now down to one train after Horizon fleet taken out of service 'We are very sorry for the inconvenience this caused some people,' OED director David Gerstenfeld said. 'The Employment Department is committed to providing people with accurate information as quickly as possible, which is why our employees are working hard to follow up with each impacted person with more specific information about their situation.' The 1099-G tax form shows how much the OED paid out to those who used unemployment benefits in 2024. However, the use of a new system threw off how these totals are determined. Before 2024, the OED relied upon a legacy system to pay Oregon's unemployment insurance program. The department then switched to its new system, , in March 2024. Here's why Wednesday's weather in Portland failed to turn severe Department officials said the form sent in January did not include both systems. 'This is the first time that 1099-G tax forms were created for the Unemployment Insurance program using Frances Online,' OED said. 'This is the only time that the new system will have to issue 1099-G forms covering payments made from both the new, and the legacy, systems.' OED fixed the error on Monday and created new forms. Those who need a corrected form were contacted via automated message on Francis Online. This follows months of complaints from those on unemployment who claim to have experienced since the website's launch. It also follows Wednesday's announcement that — its highest since 2021 and .4% higher than the national average. Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to follow this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
