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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Hot Topics Forum Photo Gallery Past Readers Polls Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Online Games Movie Preview October 23, 2006 Ashland employment office closes By Alan Panebaker Ashland Daily Tidings Job seekers in Ashland have to go a little further for help now that the WorkSource Oregon Employment Department office at Southern Oregon University is closed. The office closed Friday because of federal funding shortfalls. Residents can still find help at the WorkSource Oregon Employment Department office in Medford at 119 N. Oakdale St. "Rather than cutting positions or services, they decided to close some offices," Jean Work, manager of the Medford office said. The department's lease at the SOU location was up for renewal in February 2007. The university wants to use the space before then, so the employment office closed early, Work said. Statewide, the department put forth a plan in August to reduce $25.7 million in staff and services and supplies expenditures. Eighty-two full time positions will disappear statewide. The department hopes to see most employees leave through attrition rather than layoffs, Work said. The one employee at the Ashland office will re-locate to Medford. The department receives about 70 percent of its funding from federal sources. It pays out benefits to unemployed people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The department also provides recruiting assistance to business and job seekers and coordinates assistance to and regulates the child care industry. Work said the department's closure will only provide an inconvenience in that people will have to drive to Medford for the service. Residents also have access to services through the Internet at www.workinginoregon.org . A budget shortfall in the department was the only reason for the department's closure, Work said. "We just don't have the funding," she said. Staff writer Alan Panebaker can be reached at 482-3456 x 227 or [email protected] . Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Advertisement: Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.