The Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce is having a cost saving workshop to give local businesses information about tax credit programs and unemployment insurance claims hearings of employers in the Charleston area.

The “Meeting the Needs of Business” is a free workshop sponsored by the CACC and the Southeastern Illinois SCORE chapter.

The workshop will take place Feb. 23 from 8 a.m. to noon.

Speakers from the Illinois Department of Employment Security will be present to detail how employers can prepare for an unemployment insurance claims hearing.

The unemployment hearing process goes through a negotiation and then a resolution called arbitration.

Participating employers at the workshop will also review different case scenarios of unemployment hearings to better understand the process and laws.

Cindy White, the executive director of the CACC, said the more employers know, the more prepared they will be.

White said understanding the process will help the employer be more business savvy.

The IDES will offer recruitment services, bonding insurance programs and an understanding of tax credits to employers at the workshop.

“If the businesses understand (the tax credits), then they can save money,” White said.

Employers may receive tax credits if they hire ex-felon, veteran or welfare recipients, according to the IDES website.

They can receive up to $2,400 for workers hired for a short-term period or up to $9,000 for over a two-year period.

If businesses save money, then the employers may be able to hire more employees, White said.

White said she thinks a reduced unemployment rate in the Charleston area could be a possibility.

According to the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Coles County’s unemployment rate was 9.6 percent in 2010.

The neighboring Cumberland County had a 10.4 percent and Douglas County had 9.3 percent unemployment rate in 2010.

White said The Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce had the same workshop two years ago and had 18 businesses attend-a number she said she hopes to match or surpass.

The “Meeting the Needs of Business” workshop will be in the Basement Meeting Room of the Charleston City Hall, 520 Jackson Ave.

To register, businesses must call the CACC office at 345-7041 by Feb. 21.

Registration will be at 8 a.m. and the workshop will began at 8:30 a.m.

Amanda Wilkinson can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].