Is unemployment high right now in NY - should I be worried about my claim?
I keep hearing mixed things about whether unemployment is high right now and I'm starting to panic about my own situation. Filed my claim with NYS Department of Labor two weeks ago after getting laid off from my retail job. My claim is still in adjudication and I'm wondering if the high unemployment numbers mean it's going to take even longer to get approved? Are they overwhelmed with applications right now? Anyone else dealing with delays because of this?
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Hannah White
The current unemployment rate in NY is actually around 4.2% which is pretty normal, not particularly high. Your adjudication delay probably isn't related to volume - it's more likely they need to verify your employment history or separation reason. NYS Department of Labor adjudication typically takes 2-4 weeks regardless of overall unemployment levels.
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Nick Kravitz
•That's somewhat reassuring! I was worried they were just swamped. Should I be doing anything while I wait or just keep filing my weekly claims?
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Michael Green
honestly unemployment feels high to ME because everyone i know is struggling to find work right now... but maybe thats just my circle idk
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Mateo Silva
•Personal experience doesn't always reflect the broader statistics. Different industries and regions can have very different employment situations even when overall numbers look stable.
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Victoria Jones
I had the same worry when I filed last month! Turns out my adjudication delay had nothing to do with unemployment rates - they just needed to contact my previous employer to verify my layoff. Once that was done, my claim was approved within days. If you're really anxious about the status, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get through to a real NYS Department of Labor agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Way better than trying to call the regular number.
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Nick Kravitz
•How much does something like that cost though? I'm already stressed about money.
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Victoria Jones
•It's worth checking out their site for details, but honestly getting actual answers about my claim status was priceless when I was in your situation.
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Cameron Black
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN regardless of what the 'official' unemployment rate says!! I've been waiting 6 weeks for my appeal hearing and they keep rescheduling it. Meanwhile bills are piling up and they act like we're just numbers in their system.
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Jessica Nguyen
•that really sucks, hope your hearing gets scheduled soon
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Isaiah Thompson
Similar thing happened to my brother last year - he was convinced the delays were because unemployment was spiking but it turned out to be just normal NYS Department of Labor processes. Once he got through to someone who could explain what they needed, everything moved pretty quickly. Don't stress too much about the bigger picture stuff.
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