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The unemployment rate being around 4% is actually considered pretty low historically. But like others said, it won't impact your individual claim processing. Your two week wait is normal - most claims take 2-4 weeks to process unless there's an issue that requires adjudication.
wait so if unemployment is low does that mean they expect us to find jobs faster?? i've been looking for 6 weeks and haven't found anything in my field yet. really hope they don't cut off benefits early or something
just looked this up because i was curious too - January 2017 was 4.3% for NY state. crazy how much things changed from the financial crisis. back then the NYS Department of Labor offices were packed and people were waiting weeks just to file claims
For your research, you should know that unemployment rates only count people actively looking for work. So someone who gave up searching or wasn't eligible for benefits wouldn't be included in that 4.3% figure. The NYS Department of Labor also tracks underemployment and labor force participation rates if you need a more complete picture for your paper.
I had a nightmare trying to get through to someone at NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my claim. Their phone lines are always busy and the callback system barely works. If you need to talk to an actual person about your eligibility, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of trying to call myself.
The whole system is broken honestly. They make it so hard to figure out if you qualify and then even harder to actually get benefits. I've been waiting 3 weeks for my claim to get out of adjudication and no one can tell me why it's taking so long.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone to get clarification, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped when I was stuck with questions about my claim status.
Ella Harper
honestly the whole unemployment system is a joke. $504 max when rent alone costs more than that in most places. and they wonder why people struggle
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PrinceJoe
Yeah I remember when I filed, I thought there would be different tiers or something. Turns out it's just the one formula and that's it. Make sure you file for the maximum number of weeks you're eligible for though - I think it's up to 26 weeks for regular UI.
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Logan Chiang
•Correct - maximum of 26 weeks for regular unemployment benefits in NY, assuming you have sufficient wage credits in your base period. The weekly amount stays the same throughout your claim period.
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