State Shared-Work Program Provides an Alternative to Layoffs

Facing layoffs in this year’s budget? You may want to consider the Employment Security Department’s Shared-Work Program. Through the program, employers can reduce the hours of permanent employees, who can then collect partial unemployment benefits to replace a portion of their lost wages. Even better, the federal government will cover more than 92 percent of shared-work benefits through June 2015. Normally public employers have to pay all benefits back to the state when their laid off employees collect benefits, but this gives you a break. You can retain skilled staff while having a little breathing room to develop a long-term financial strategy. Even if you're not facing layoffs, it may be a helpful program to publicize to businesses in the community, since the shared-work option is available to private businesses as well. For full program details, check out the ESD website.