CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–August 23, 2011. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and Aon Corporation (NYSE:AON) have come together to place more than 100 job seekers in good-paying jobs at the Chicago-based professional services firm. The collaboration highlights Governor Pat Quinn’s efforts to grow jobs and connect qualified job seekers with ready-to-hire employers.
“Aon is a leading Illinois company, and a perfect match for Illinois’ highly skilled workers,” said Governor Quinn. “This is a great example of how our state and private businesses can work together to connect businesses, workers and jobs.”
“We sought the assistance of the Department of Employment Security to help us identify qualified and talented candidates, and they exceeded our expectations in a quick and efficient manner,” said Greg Besio, Aon’s chief human resources officer.
Working with the IDES’ Employment Services division, Aon was able to hire benefits advisors to work out of its Aon Hewitt office in Lincolnshire. The temporary employment is expected to last through mid-December and pay between $17 and $20 an hour.
The IDES works with employers to fill vacancies. Hosting job fairs, providing interview space and connecting job seekers with ready-to-hire employers is critical to the Department’s mission. Providing soft-skills training to job seekers, such as skills assessment, resume review and interview techniques can be combined with other training courses available through more than 60 workNet centers across the state. This collaborative approach identifies the skills needed by businesses and helps job seekers obtain the skills needed to meet those needs.
“IDES is an employment agency, not an unemployment office. We are here to help people transition to their next employment opportunity and to work with the private sector to create that opportunity,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said. “Our goal is to assist workers, businesses and their related workforce partners to nurture economic growth of every size and scale.”
Information to help job seekers improve their ability to be hired and assist business owners with increasing profitability is available at the IDES website. The website is organized to serve three key groups: individual job seekers, employers and workforce partners. Individuals can look for work, obtain career information and apply for unemployment insurance benefits. Employers can obtain tax incentive information, seek applicants to fill job openings, and obtain market information to help develop business plans and identify new markets or opportunities. Workforce partners can use wage data, commuting patterns and hiring trends to develop regional economic plans.
Included on the website are instructions to leverage several tax incentive programs, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). This federal tax credit reduces an employer’s cost of doing business while helping those most in need gain valuable work experience. Military Veterans, ex-felons, and public aid recipients are among those who, when hired, could provide a tax credit of up to $9,000 over two years. More details are available at http://www.ides.state.il.us/employer/ui-credits.asp or by calling (312) 793-2913. Additional tax credit information can be found at http://business.illinois.gov/tax_incentives.cfm.
Source illinois.gov
