WorkSource Oregon offers employer services to Columbia County

During last week's Rainier Chamber of Commerce meeting, WorkSource Oregon (WSO) Area Manager Angeline Chan-Pepper explained to attendees how the organization provides employer services. An equal-opportunity agency, WSO, according to its website, is "a one-stop resource for businesses."

Specifying WSO is "not an employment agency," Chan-pepper said, "If you post a job with us, it reaches a huge audience. We will do that for you without any cost...Instead of trying to pay some money to Indeed [or] LinkedIn, we can help you post the job."

As part of its services, WSO offers a dedicated staff to not only help veterans but youth (ages 16-24) and other job seekers using the company's statewide job board. Offering recruitment assistance as well, WSO helps "post, promote, source, screen and recommend top candidates" for employers seeking employees by acting as an extension of of their HR and recruit team, a "luxury" Chan-Pepper admitted small and medium sized businesses usually do not have. WSO also offers labor market information by customizing workforce data analysis services and establishing market-competitive wage rates "to attract and retain talent." With a "library of hundreds of employment assessments," WSO also has the ability to validate candidate skills and competencies.

Aside from recruitment efforts, WSO also specializes in themes such as layoff aversion, subsidized employment, foreign labor programs, and tax credit and federal bonding. According to its website, WSO's Work Share program allows the employer "to keep skilled employees during slow business times." WSO's training program offers apprenticeships, internships, and training options, while "saving time and helping defray training costs while building a workforce with the needed skills." An added bonus is WSO's on-the-job training reimburses up to 50 percent of eligible new hire training wages, according to the website. Other incentives include tax credits "from $1,500 - $9,600 for every qualifying new hire who faces a barrier to employment" and getting $5,000 in fidelity bonds "when hiring individuals whose backgrounds could pose barriers to finding employment."

A "proud partner of the American Job Center network," WSO has centers all over Oregon, including St. Helens in Columbia County and Seaside in Clatsop County. According to its website, WSO's services "are supported by the U.S. Department of Labor," with 37 percent of its work financed with federal funds and the remaining 63 percent funded by other sources. For more info, call 503-947-1680, email EmployerServices@employ.oregon.gov, or visit worksourceoregon.org.