same boat here, been wondering about this too. glad someone asked!

I've been tracking this data too since I'm also on unemployment. According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the national unemployment rate is sitting at 3.7% as of December 2024. New York is at 4.2%, so we're about half a percentage point above the national average. What's interesting is that different regions within NY vary quite a bit - NYC metro area tends to be closer to the national average while upstate areas can be higher. If you're looking for more detailed breakdowns, the NYS Department of Labor releases monthly reports that include county-level data. Hang in there - 6 months is tough but the job market does seem to be slowly improving based on the trend data.

Keep filing weekly claims no matter what! Even if it says active issues you still need to keep certifying or you'll lose those weeks when they finally resolve everything. Learned that the hard way when my cousin skipped filing thinking it didn't matter.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed 2 weeks ago and still showing active issues with no explanation. It's so frustrating not knowing what's wrong or how long to expect this to take. Reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel a bit better that it's probably just routine processing delays. Going to keep filing weekly like everyone suggested and try to be patient, but man this waiting game is stressful when you need the money.

I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I needed to report wage information for a former employee's claim. Spent hours on hold trying to reach someone. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that connects you directly to unemployment agents by phone. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made the whole process so much easier than trying to call the regular number.

Don't forget you also have to pay into the disability benefits fund if you have employees in NY - that's separate from unemployment tax but also required

My roomate went through this exact same situation! heres what happened: they reviewed his wage history and realized they had been underpaying him based on his previous quarterly earnings. They adjusted his benefit amount AND gave him backpay for the difference on previous weeks. He was freaking out thinking it was a mistake but it was actually legitimate. Try using claimyr.com to get through to an agent - its the only way my roomate finally got confirmation that everything was ok.

This sounds like it could be legitimate! I went through something similar last year where my benefits increased unexpectedly. It turned out that NY unemployment had received additional wage data from my previous employer that wasn't included in my original calculation. They automatically recalculate benefits when they get more complete wage information, which can result in higher weekly payments and increased maximum benefit amounts. That said, I'd definitely recommend getting confirmation from an agent just to be safe - I know it's nearly impossible to get through by calling normally, but like others have mentioned, services like claimyr.com can help you actually connect with someone. Better to verify now than deal with potential overpayment issues later!

Wait, what about if you're collecting disability? I thought you could get both but maybe I'm wrong about that?

Another important disqualifier that hasn't been mentioned is if you're receiving severance pay - depending on how it's structured, it might delay or reduce your benefits. Also, if you were working under the table or getting paid in cash without proper tax reporting, you might not have enough documented earnings to qualify. And just to add to what others said about students - you can claim benefits if you're willing to drop out or reduce your course load to accept suitable work, but if you're not available because of class schedules, that could be a problem. The key thing is always being "able, available, and actively seeking work.