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Honestly this whole conversation reminds me of when I was laid off last year and couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor for weeks. The irony of discussing 'healthy unemployment' when the system for helping unemployed people is so broken... but I guess that's a different issue entirely.
Sorry you had trouble reaching them. If you ever need to get through to NYS Department of Labor agents again, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that handles the calling for you. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way easier than sitting on hold for hours.
The way I think about it is like this - if unemployment is at zero, it means the economy has no shock absorbers. When recessions hit (and they always do), you need some flexibility in the labor market to adjust without everything collapsing. Plus zero unemployment usually means wages have gotten so high that companies start automating jobs or moving operations elsewhere.
Just wanted to add that sometimes there can be delays if they need to verify your employment history or if there's any question about why you became unemployed. Restaurant workers sometimes have issues if there are questions about tips or if the employer contests the claim. Hopefully that's not your situation but just something to be aware of.
Just make sure your previous claim is totally finished before filing a new one. I had some confusion when I tried to file too quickly and it created complications with my benefit year dates. NYS Department of Labor had to sort it out but it delayed my payments for a few weeks.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to clarify your situation, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me reach an actual agent when I couldn't get through on my own. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped when I needed to verify my eligibility for a second claim.
Dananyl Lear
I was in a similar situation last year - got laid off from part time work. The thing that surprised me is they look at ALL your wages during the base period, not just your most recent job. So even though my recent job was only part time, my earlier full time work helped me qualify for a higher benefit amount. Definitely file even if you're not 100% sure you qualify - the worst they can say is no.
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Ayla Kumar
•That's really good to know! I was worried the part-time hours might hurt my chances but sounds like my previous full-time job will actually help.
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Noah huntAce420
The NYS Department of Labor website has a benefit calculator where you can estimate if you qualify and how much you might get. Just search for 'unemployment benefit calculator' on their site. It's not 100% accurate but gives you a good idea before you file your claim.
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