Public Accountability Report

The mission of the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) is to manage, administer, and safeguard the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) program and Trust Fund, provide economic stability to workers seeking reemployment through the delivery of unemployment insurance benefits and employment services, and encourage economic growth and stability across the state through analyzing and disseminating actionable labor market information to policymakers.

The Department will continue to provide timely and quality service to job seekers, claimants, and employers. IDES is improving the claimant’s experience and maintaining fiscal stability with an emphasis on:

• Fraud prevention and detection
• Upgraded technology systems
• Improved user interfaces
• Enhanced online portals
• Improved communication channels

To highlight a few recent IDES accomplishments and improvements to the UI system:

• Claimant Experience – IDES has made continuous improvements to claimant services from our customer service center (CSC), including development of a high-volume contingency plan and a task force for CSC optimization. This has resulted in a 70% reduction in the average call back log and a 24% reduction in calls per claimant from summer 2024 to summer 2025. In addition, IDES is preparing to award a contract to design and implement a web-based claimant portal making it easier for claimants to determine eligibility, file claims, upload and retrieve documents, monitor claim status, update personal information, etc.
• Automated Document Upload and Review – IDES has updated IT systems and automated workflows to expedite and reduce errors in the intake and review process for program documents. The Department has implemented electronic submission and automated data extraction for documentation related to claimant identification. This has already reduced the workload of our integrity unity by 19% and dramatically reduced wait time for claimants whose documents require review. Soon these improvements will be extended to document processing for all aspects of unemployment insurance, including protests, adjudications, appeals, and benefit payments.
• One-on-One Services for Jobseekers – IDES has doubled the number of UI recipients who are supported by the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) since 2003. RESEA consists of tailored one-on-one services for UI claimants who are most likely to exhaust their benefits before finding work. Services include a self-assessment and a one-on-one appointment to help the claimant improve their resume, focus their job search, and create an Individual Reemployment Plan. The Department is currently improving on those services by adding an online self-directed component and standardizing the program offerings across offices.
• Integrity Task Force – The agency established an Integrity Task Force that coordinates leadership across IDES business units to reduce improper payments, develop overpayment prevention methods and tools, and track progress in meeting key integrity measures from the US Department of Labor.

IDES also administers the federal Wagner-Peyser program, one of the four core federal programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  As required under WIOA, Illinois has a unified state plan that covers the core programs and establishes performance accountability indicators for those programs, including the IDES  Wagner-Peyser services. IDES plays a key role in reporting to the U.S. Department of Labor on progress under the WIOA state plan, as well as developing updated strategies over the course of the plan. The Department consistently meets or exceeds negotiated federal performance goals that measure employment rate at the second and fourth quarters after program exit and median wages earned at the second quarter after program exit. The Department continues to be the go-to resource for wage, employer, and workforce participation information for all workforce partners in Illinois.