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yeah they're different but the whole unemployment system is a mess anyway. took me 8 weeks to get my first payment even though i did everything right. NYS Department of Labor keeps changing their rules and nobody knows what's going on
Just remember you have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits! A lot of people forget that and get surprised at tax time. You can have taxes withheld from your weekly payments or pay quarterly.
Filing for unemployment was such a nightmare when I tried last year. The NYS Department of Labor phone lines are always busy and their website kept crashing on me. I ended up having to call like 50 times before I got through to someone who could help me figure out if I was eligible. There's actually a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you get through to NYS Department of Labor agents faster - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you run into issues reaching them.
wait so they take money out of our paychecks for this but then make us jump through hoops to actually get it?? that seems messed up
Isabella Ferreira
I think the biggest issue is timing. By the time someone files for unemployment, they're already stressed about money and just want any job. But the programs that actually reduce long-term unemployment require time investment upfront - like 6 months of training. It's hard to think long-term when you're worried about next month's rent.
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FireflyDreams
•This is so true. I turned down a low-paying job early in my unemployment because I thought something better would come along quickly. Ended up being unemployed longer than if I'd taken it and kept looking.
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CosmicVoyager
what about just creating more jobs instead of training people for jobs that dont exist?? seems like we're putting the cart before the horse here
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Javier Morales
•Job creation is more of a policy/economic issue, but you're right that training without actual job openings is pointless. That's why I mentioned the apprenticeships - those are tied to employers who commit to hiring.
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