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I've been tracking this because I'm in HR and need to stay on top of labor market trends. New York's unemployment rate in early 2025 has increased by about 0.4 percentage points compared to the same period last year. It's not dramatic, but it's noticeable. The NYS Department of Labor data shows most of the increase is in manufacturing and retail sectors. If you're in a stable industry like healthcare or government, you're probably fine.
I work in logistics for a mid-size company. Not sure if that counts as stable these days with all the supply chain changes.
When I was trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor last month about my claim status, I used a service called Claimyr that helped me actually reach someone. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of busy signals and might be helpful if you need to contact them about unemployment benefits.
The whole system is rigged anyway. They manipulate these numbers to make politicians look good. I've been unemployed since November and the NYS Department of Labor keeps finding excuses to delay my payments. Half the people I know who lost jobs aren't even counted in the statistics because they gave up looking or are doing gig work.
This is exactly why the unemployment system is overwhelmed. Companies are just dumping workers and expecting taxpayers to foot the bill while they pocket the savings from not paying salaries. The whole thing is backwards.
If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on your claim status, I had good luck with a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They actually got me connected to an agent when I was stuck in adjudication for weeks. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you need to talk to someone directly about your timeline.
wait so you can work part time and still get unemployment?? i thought you had to be completely unemployed! this changes everything for me because my restaurant cut everyone's shifts but didnt lay anyone off
Just be prepared for the process to take forever. I applied for partial benefits 3 weeks ago and my claim is still in adjudication. The NYS Department of Labor system is so backed up it's ridiculous. But yes you should definitely apply if your hours got cut.
StarStrider
If you run into issues contacting NYS Department of Labor about your application status, I had success using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. I was stuck trying to reach someone for weeks about my adjudication status and this got me connected within a few hours. Really helpful when you need to speak to someone directly about approval requirements or claim issues.
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Yuki Sato
•Interesting, never heard of that before. Did they charge you anything or is it free?
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Carmen Ruiz
honestly the approval process is such a pain... they make you jump through so many hoops just to get benefits you've already paid into through your taxes. I got denied twice before finally getting approved and it was just because of paperwork technicalities. make sure EVERYTHING is filled out correctly or they'll find some reason to reject you
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Luca Ferrari
•That's exactly what I'm worried about! What kind of paperwork issues caused your denials?
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