Wait, are you looking at state unemployment rates or individual unemployment claims? Because if you're trying to get data about actual claims filed with NYS Department of Labor, that's totally different from the overall unemployment percentage for the state. I was confused about this too when I was doing research.

If you need help accessing NYS Department of Labor data or have questions about their statistics, I had good luck using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get through to someone at the department who could point me to the right resources. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Sometimes calling directly gets you better guidance than just searching their website.

Actually this is relevant since understanding how unemployment taxes work helps explain how the system is funded. Your FUTA payments go into the federal unemployment trust fund, while your NYS Department of Labor payments fund the state benefits. When people have issues getting through to NYS Department of Labor for claim questions, services like claimyr.com can help connect you directly to agents. They have a good demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works.

For your books: Dr. FUTA Tax Payable, Cr. Cash when you pay. The rate is 6% on first $7,000 of wages but you get credit for state unemployment taxes paid to NYS Department of Labor, so effective rate is usually 0.6%. Make sure you're paying quarterly if you owe more than $500 annually.

I was in a similar situation last year and couldn't get through to NYS Department of Labor on the phone for weeks to ask about my options. Found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually reach an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Turned out I qualified for benefits even though I thought I wouldn't. Sometimes talking to an actual person at NYS Department of Labor helps you understand your rights better than trying to figure it out online.

Just remember that even if you get fired and qualify for UI, you still have to do the job search requirements. NYS Department of Labor requires 3 work search activities per week and you have to keep a log. Don't assume getting benefits means you can just coast - they're pretty strict about the job search stuff now.

Be very careful with any site asking for payment upfront. The legitimate unemployment process through NYS Department of Labor is completely free - filing claims, weekly certifications, job search assistance, even appeals if your claim gets disqualified. Third-party companies can't speed up adjudication or guarantee approvals, despite what their marketing claims.

The unemployment system is confusing enough without scammers making it worse! I stick to just the official NYS Department of Labor resources. If you need help understanding something, this forum is actually more helpful than most of those paid services anyway.

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone to ask questions about your eligibility, I had good luck using a service called Claimyr that helped me connect with an actual agent. They have this system that calls repeatedly until they get through and then connects you. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than sitting on hold for hours or getting hung up on. The site is claimyr.com - helped me get my claim status checked when I couldn't reach anyone the normal way.

Position elimination is basically the same as a layoff in terms of unemployment eligibility. The key thing is that it wasn't voluntary and wasn't due to misconduct. You should be fine as long as you meet the other requirements like having enough work history and wages in your base period.