CHICAGO – Offices of IDES will be closed on Monday, Oct. 10, in observance of Columbus Day. All services will be available on the IDES website. Claimants scheduled to certify for benefits should do so and are encouraged to use the Internet. TeleServe will be available. Regular office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. will resume Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Initially a day to remember when the explorer Christopher Columbus landed in the New World, the holiday has since evolved into celebrating Italian-American heritage. The first celebration occurred in New York in 1792. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation honoring the 400th anniversary of the initial landing. In 1905, Colorado was the first state to make it an official holiday. In 1937, Congress designated Oct. 12 as the holiday and in 1971 declared that the holiday be celebrated the second Monday in October. Illinois created the Columbus Day holiday in 1963.
Although IDES offices will be closed, services will be available at www.ides.illinois.gov. 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 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.
Since January 2010, when Illinois’ unemployment rate leveled and job growth returned, Illinois has added +79,600 jobs. In August, the most recent figures available, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.9 percent. The rate fell for 15 consecutive months before increasing in each month since May. Up and down movements in the unemployment rate and jobs created are common immediately following a recession.
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.
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.
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