NYS Department of Labor claim - sectoral shifts causing unemployment classification issues?
I worked in retail management for 8 years but my entire company closed all NY locations due to what they called 'sectoral shifts in consumer behavior.' Now I'm filing for unemployment and the NYS Department of Labor keeps asking about my job search in retail specifically. But everyone's telling me retail jobs are disappearing and I should look in other industries. Is this affecting my unemployment claim? Do sectoral shifts tend to raise issues with what type of unemployment classification I get? I'm worried they'll say I'm not actively searching if I apply to jobs outside retail.
10 comments
Join the conversation
Lily Young
Sectoral shifts typically create what economists call structural unemployment, where your skills from one industry don't directly transfer to growing sectors. For NYS Department of Labor purposes, you're still eligible for regular UI benefits regardless of the economic cause. The key is showing you're making a good faith effort to find work. You can absolutely search in other industries - just document everything in your job search log.
0 coins
Marcus Williams
•Thank you! So I won't get penalized for looking outside retail? I've been scared to apply to anything else.
0 coins
Kennedy Morrison
I went through something similar when my manufacturing plant closed. The NYS Department of Labor actually encourages retraining and looking in different sectors. You might want to check if you qualify for any workforce development programs too. Document every job application regardless of industry and you'll be fine.
0 coins
Wesley Hallow
•How long did it take for your claim to get approved? I'm in week 3 of adjudication hell.
0 coins
Justin Chang
ugh the phone system at NYS Department of Labor is impossible when you need to actually talk to someone about this stuff. I spent weeks trying to get through to explain my situation. Finally used claimyr.com to get connected to an actual agent - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Way easier than calling 50 times a day.
0 coins
Grace Thomas
•Never heard of that before, is it legit? I'm desperate at this point.
0 coins
Justin Chang
•Yeah it's real, just connects you to the same NYS Department of Labor agents but skips the busy signals. Saved me hours of redialing.
0 coins
Hunter Brighton
sectoral shifts are just fancy words for 'the economy screwed you over' lol. doesn't matter what type of unemployment it is, the NYS Department of Labor treats everyone the same - badly
0 coins
Lily Young
•I understand the frustration, but there are real differences in unemployment classifications that can affect benefits duration and retraining opportunities.
0 coins
Dylan Baskin
Same boat here! My whole department got eliminated when the company 'restructured for digital transformation.' Whatever that means. At least we're all in this together I guess.
0 coins