NYS Department of Labor structural unemployment claim - which type is most serious?
I've been out of work for 8 months now and my case worker at the career center keeps talking about different types of unemployment. She mentioned that what I'm experiencing might be considered 'structural unemployment' because my whole industry basically disappeared from our area. All the manufacturing plants closed and moved operations overseas. I'm trying to understand if this affects my NYS Department of Labor benefits or job search requirements differently. Does anyone know which type of unemployment NYS Department of Labor considers the most serious when it comes to extended benefits or retraining programs? I'm worried because I might need to completely change careers at 47 years old.
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Mei Chen
Structural unemployment is indeed considered one of the most challenging types because it involves fundamental changes in the economy that eliminate entire job categories. Unlike cyclical unemployment (temporary economic downturns) or frictional unemployment (normal job transitions), structural unemployment requires workers to develop completely new skills. NYS Department of Labor does offer enhanced services for displaced workers including extended training programs and trade adjustment assistance if your job loss was due to foreign competition.
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Jamal Thompson
•That makes sense about the skills part. Do you know if there are special programs through NYS Department of Labor for people in my situation? The regular job search requirements seem impossible when there literally aren't jobs in my field anymore.
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CosmicCadet
been there friend, lost my job when the auto parts factory closed 3 years ago. structural unemployment is definitely the worst because you cant just wait for things to get better like with other types. had to go back to school at 52
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Jamal Thompson
•How did you handle the retraining? Did NYS Department of Labor help with school costs or did you have to figure that out on your own?
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Liam O'Connor
You should contact NYS Department of Labor about their Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs. These are specifically designed for workers facing structural unemployment. They can provide funding for retraining, career counseling, and may modify your job search requirements while you're in an approved training program. Call the main NYS Department of Labor number, but honestly getting through can be a nightmare with their call volume.
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Amara Adeyemi
•I had the same problem trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor about retraining programs. Kept getting busy signals or hung up on after waiting an hour. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person who could explain the WIOA options. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me weeks of frustration trying to get through on my own.
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Giovanni Gallo
Honestly the whole unemployment classification system is just bureaucratic nonsense. Whether they call it structural, cyclical, or whatever, you're still broke and need a job. NYS Department of Labor makes it sound like some types are more legitimate than others but at the end of the day we're all just trying to survive
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Mei Chen
•I understand the frustration, but the classifications actually matter for determining what services and extended benefits you qualify for. Structural unemployment often qualifies for longer benefit periods and more comprehensive retraining assistance.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
From an economic perspective, structural unemployment is considered the most serious because it represents permanent changes in the labor market rather than temporary fluctuations. It typically lasts longer and requires more intervention to resolve. NYS Department of Labor recognizes this and has specific programs for structurally unemployed workers including Trade Adjustment Assistance if your job loss was trade-related.
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Dylan Wright
wait so there are different TYPES of unemployment?? i thought unemployment was just unemployment. i've been filing my weekly claims with NYS Department of Labor for 6 weeks and nobody ever mentioned this to me
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