How does filing an NYS Department of Labor unemployment claim affect my former employer?

Your employer pays into the unemployment insurance system through payroll taxes, so when you file a valid claim, it doesn't directly hurt them financially beyond what they're already paying. However, their UI tax rate can increase if they have a lot of successful claims filed against them over time. It's basically an insurance system - they pay premiums and the system covers valid claims. Don't feel bad about filing if you were legitimately laid off.

The employer gets notified when you file and has a chance to respond if they think the claim shouldn't be approved. If they don't contest it and NYS Department of Labor approves your benefits, their unemployment tax rate might go up slightly for future years, but it's not a huge deal for most businesses. They budget for this stuff. You earned those benefits by working and your employer paying into the system.

I was in HR for years and can tell you that most employers expect unemployment claims when they do layoffs. The only time companies really fight claims is when someone was fired for misconduct or quit voluntarily. In your case with a legitimate layoff, they probably won't even contest it. The NYS Department of Labor system is designed to support workers between jobs, and employers know this when they hire people.

I had a similar situation last year when my company downsized. I was worried about the same thing and actually called my old manager to ask. She told me not to worry about it at all and that they expected people to file for unemployment after the layoffs. If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor directly about questions like this, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to actual agents. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really helpful when you need to talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor but can't get through on your own.

just wanted to say dont feel guilty about filing! unemployment is there for exactly this reason - when you lose your job through no fault of your own. your employer knew this was part of doing business when they hired you