Current NYS Department of Labor unemployment numbers - how many people are receiving benefits right now?
I've been trying to find recent statistics on how many people are currently receiving unemployment benefits through NYS Department of Labor but I'm getting conflicting information online. Some sites show numbers from 2023, others have partial 2024 data. Does anyone know where to find the most current numbers of active UI claimants in New York? I'm doing research for a community advocacy project and need accurate figures. The NYS Department of Labor website has some data but it's not clear if it includes all benefit types or just regular UI claims.
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Geoff Richards
The NYS Department of Labor releases monthly unemployment statistics but there's usually a 2-3 month lag. For the most current data, check the Bureau of Labor Statistics website - they have state-by-state breakdowns. As of the last report I saw, NY had around 380,000 people receiving some form of unemployment compensation, but that includes regular UI, standby benefits, and other programs.
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Laila Fury
•Thanks! Do you know if those numbers include people who are in adjudication or just those actively receiving payments?
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Simon White
i think its way higher than the official numbers show because so many claims are stuck in adjudication for weeks. my claim has been pending for over a month and im not counted in those statistics even though i should be getting benefits
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Hugo Kass
•You're absolutely right about adjudication delays affecting the numbers. The published statistics typically only count people actively receiving payments, not those with pending claims. If you've been waiting over a month, you might want to try calling the NYS Department of Labor directly, though I know getting through is difficult with the high call volume.
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Nasira Ibanez
•I had the same problem with my claim stuck in adjudication. After weeks of trying to call NYS Department of Labor with no luck, I found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that actually got me connected to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Finally got my adjudication resolved after being able to speak to someone who could look at my specific case.
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Khalil Urso
The numbers probably don't reflect reality anyway. Between people whose claims are stuck, people who gave up trying to file, and people working part-time who should qualify for partial benefits but don't know about it... the actual need is probably much higher than whatever statistics they publish.
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Myles Regis
•This exactly! My neighbor has been eligible for partial unemployment for months because her hours got cut but she had no idea she could file for benefits while still working part-time.
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Brian Downey
For what it's worth, I remember reading that unemployment numbers dropped significantly in 2024 compared to the peak pandemic years, but there are still way more people on benefits than there were pre-2020. The NYS Department of Labor system is still dealing with the backlog and processing delays from all the changes they had to make.
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