NYS Department of Labor asking for main occupation on unemployment claim - how to answer?
I'm filling out my initial unemployment claim and there's a section asking for my 'main occupation' but I'm not sure how to answer this correctly. I worked as a retail supervisor for 3 years but before that I was in food service for like 5 years. Should I put retail supervisor since that was my most recent job, or food service since I have more experience in that field? I don't want to mess this up and delay my claim. The NYS Department of Labor website doesn't really explain what they're looking for here.
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Mei Chen
You should use your most recent job as your main occupation. The NYS Department of Labor typically wants to know what you were doing immediately before filing for unemployment. So in your case, put retail supervisor since that was your last position.
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Jamal Thompson
•That makes sense, thank you! I was overthinking it. Should I mention the food service experience anywhere else on the application?
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CosmicCadet
yeah definitely go with your last job, thats what i did when i filed last year
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Liam O'Connor
The main occupation field is used by NYS Department of Labor for statistical purposes and to help match you with potential job opportunities through their job search portal. Always use your most recent position. If you have multiple skills or backgrounds, you can mention those in the work history section where there's more space to elaborate.
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Jamal Thompson
•Good to know about the job matching part! I didn't realize they used that information for finding work opportunities.
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Amara Adeyemi
I had the same confusion when I filed my claim! Couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about it either - their phone lines are always busy. I ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent who confirmed I should use my most recent job title. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Really saved me from making a mistake on my application.
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Giovanni Gallo
•How much did that cost? I'm already stressed about money and don't want to pay for something I can figure out myself.
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Amara Adeyemi
•It was worth it for me since I was worried about getting my claim delayed. The peace of mind knowing I filled everything out correctly was huge.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
This is such a basic question but the NYS Department of Labor makes everything so confusing! Why can't they just say 'most recent job title' instead of 'main occupation'?? The whole system is designed to trip people up I swear.
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Dylan Wright
•I know right! Everything about filing unemployment is unnecessarily complicated.
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Mei Chen
•The terminology can definitely be confusing, but once you understand what they're looking for it gets easier to navigate the system.
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Logan Chiang
Just went through this same process last month! Definitely use "retail supervisor" since that was your most recent position. The NYS Department of Labor uses this mainly to categorize your claim and for their records. Your food service experience will still be valuable and you can include all of that work history in the employment section. The key is being consistent throughout your application - whatever you put as your main occupation should match what you list as your last job. Good luck with your claim!
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Declan Ramirez
•Thanks for sharing your recent experience! That's really helpful to know about being consistent throughout the application. I hadn't thought about making sure the main occupation matches what I put as my last job - that's a great point that could definitely save me from confusion later.
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