Extended Unemployment Program Ends Soon

 An extended unemployment insurance program in Illinois ends this month, the Illinois Department of Employment Security announced Wednesday. The expiring program affects individuals who have collected benefits for more than 79 weeks. The extended benefit program ends May 12th because specific economic factors set forth by federal officials were met such as a falling unemployment rate. Illinois EB claimants will be notified by mail or e mail. Final payments will be issued during the two weeks following May 12th. IDES Director Jay Rowell encourages anyone who is unemployed or underemployed to visit IllinoisJobLink.com where they will find more than 90 thousand job openings. IllinoisJobLink allows businesses to create want ads that require specific skills and search resumes using keywords such as salary, educational attainment and location. Individuals can create multiple resumes using keywords to emphasize skills that target specific jobs in different industries. The cross matching approach increases success and reduces costs for both parties. Up to 99 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits had been potentially available. EB represents the final 20 weeks.