A6 BUSINESS Wallowa County Chieftain Wednesday, August 3, 2022 Employment Department readies new computer system By PETER WONG Oregon Capital Bureau Oregon businesses and workers will begin to see the rollout of a new computer system for the Employment Department after more than a decade of false starts and frustrations. When the transition is completed in more than three years, the new sys- tem will automate employer payroll and tax records, employee claims and bene- û ts from the state unemploy- ment trust fund — and also contributions and beneû ts for Oregon’s new program of paid family leave, which starts in 2023. “It is a complex proj- ect and a multiyear eû ort to transform the Employment Department business pro- cesses and core technology so that they are more û exi- ble, adaptable and eû cient,= said David Gerstenfeld, act- ing director of the agency since May 2020. On Sept. 6, the new sys- tem will go live with Ore- gon employers û ling their third-quarter payroll reports, on which their unemploy- ment tax payments are based. Employers also will use the new system to gain access to their unemploy- ment tax rates. On Aug. 28, the two cur- rent systems that handle those functions will shut down to allow for the transi- tion to the new system. “We are doing this to make sure all the remaining work is completed,= Ger- stenfeld said. “We think this will not have an impact on most employers,= because they should have completed û ling payroll reports for EO Media Group, File Oregon’s employment department has developed a new computer system that will automate employer payroll and tax records, employee claims and benefi ts from the state unemployment trust fund. the second quarter of 2022, which ended June 30. He said some employ- ers that took part in agency focus groups were invited to log on to a copy of the new system so they could become familiar with how it operates. “It was positive over- all,= he said, and suggested adjustments will be incorpo- rated into future work on the system.