USADWEB NEWSBLAST
Vol. V, Issue 9 December 2011

In This Issue 1. Changes to Illinois SWA Job Orders 2. Holiday Cheer! 3. United States Unemployment Rate November 2011 4. PERM Processing Times as of November 1, 2011 Clients' Comments Corner: See what our clients are saying about us!

This month the Illinois Department of Employment Security changed their procedure for posting State Workforce Agency (SWA) job orders. IL now uses https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/ada/ in place of IllinoisSkillsMatch.com. Although the process is similar, we thought it might be helpful for you to be aware of a couple of details.

The employer’s password may have changed slightly in the conversion process. If the existing login does not work, call the IL JobLink Help Desk at (877) 342-7533. They may be able to reset the account or give you the new password.

Under the previous system, it was possible to view jobs on their close date. Job orders are no longer viewable on their close date, so we suggest taking a snapshot on the day prior to close.

As during any type of web conversion process, there may be dates that jobs cannot be seen by job seekers. If you feel that this impacts your calculation of the required time period, please contact us to adjust your posting.

USADWEB will continue to monitor developments at State Workforce Agencies across the country and notify you of any changes that impact your cases.

2. Holiday Cheer!

Recently, the following PERM ad was submitted to us to be quoted for a non-professional position:

Sleigh Mechanic: Inspect, repair, and maintain functional parts of giant, red sleigh for land and air travel. Check fluid levels and keep stocked with Flying Reindeer Dust. Req. 2 yrs exp. Send resume to HR@npole.com.

We noticed that the ad text is missing the company name and job location, which will need to be included to meet the Department of Labor (DOL) regulations. We will bring this to the attorney's attention so that the appropriate information can be included. Since adding to the text may increase the lineage and affect pricing, we will need to receive the complete ad text before we send this out to be quoted.

The unemployment rates around the country can greatly impact a company's decision to sponsor an application for labor certification. When unemployment rates are high, companies may elect not to proceed with the certification process. Rates can vary by state and industry. There are several states with jobless rates that are well below the national average. Employers in these states may be more available to sponsor employees. USADWEB is providing information on the current unemployment rates as a convenient tool to assist you as you prepare your cases. The unemployment rate decreased from 9% in October to 8.6% in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

PERM processing times are important to you and your clients. Therefore, each month USADWEB is pleased to be able to update you on the current processing times for reviews, audits, and appeals as reported on www.icert.doleta.gov:

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