NYS Department of Labor claim approved but worried AI will lead to unemployment again soon
Just got my NYS Department of Labor claim approved after being laid off from my data entry job last month. The company said they were 'restructuring' but I found out they're replacing most of us with some kind of AI software. I'm 38 and have been doing this work for 12 years. Now I'm wondering if I should even bother looking for similar jobs or if AI will just lead to more unemployment in my field. Has anyone else been laid off because of automation? What kind of jobs are actually safe from this stuff? I'm scared to use up my 26 weeks of benefits just to get laid off again when the next wave of AI hits.
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CosmosCaptain
I feel you on this. Got laid off from my accounting firm last year for similar reasons. What I learned is you need to focus on jobs that require human interaction or creative problem solving. Customer service, healthcare, skilled trades - stuff that's harder to automate. The job search requirements for your weekly claim actually helped me explore different fields I never considered before.
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Ravi Choudhury
•That's smart thinking. I've been so focused on data entry I never thought about branching out. Do you know if NYS Department of Labor has any retraining programs for people in our situation?
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Freya Johansen
Yes, NYS Department of Labor offers several retraining programs through their workforce development services. You can access these while collecting unemployment benefits. Look into their apprenticeship programs for trades like plumbing, electrical work, or HVAC - these fields are growing and much less likely to be automated. You can find information on the my.ny.gov portal under workforce services.
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Omar Fawzi
•this is exactly what i needed to hear! been putting off looking into retraining because i thought it would mess up my unemployment
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Chloe Wilson
Ugh, I'm dealing with the same fear. My whole department got axed because they brought in some AI chatbot system. The worst part is trying to explain this to employers when they ask why I left my last job. Like do I say 'replaced by a robot'?? It sounds so weird but it's the truth. At least you got your claim approved quickly - mine's been in adjudication for weeks.
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CosmosCaptain
•You can just say the company restructured due to technological changes. That's honest without sounding dramatic. And if your claim is stuck in adjudication, you might want to try calling the NYS Department of Labor directly.
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Diego Mendoza
•Calling NYS Department of Labor is impossible though - I've been trying for 3 weeks and either get hung up on or sit on hold for hours. I actually found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration when I needed to resolve an issue with my job search log.
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Anastasia Romanov
honestly the whole system is screwed. they keep saying there are jobs available but half of them are probably going to be automated in the next few years anyway. what's the point of job searching if everything's going to robots?
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Freya Johansen
•I understand the frustration, but focusing on adaptable skills is key. Healthcare, education, skilled maintenance - these sectors are actually expanding and need human workers. The job market is changing, not disappearing.
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StellarSurfer
My brother went through this exact thing last year at his manufacturing job. He ended up using his unemployment time to get certified as an HVAC technician and now makes more money than before. The key is not panicking and using the time wisely.
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