NYS Department of Labor unemployment claims spiking after $10 minimum wage hike - anyone else affected?
My company laid off 8 people last month right after the minimum wage went up to $10 in our county. HR said they couldn't afford to keep everyone at the new rate. Now I'm filing for unemployment and wondering if this is happening everywhere or just bad timing. Has anyone else seen their workplace cut jobs because of wage increases? I'm trying to figure out if this will hurt my chances of finding new work since so many people might be filing claims at once.
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Lauren Wood
This is actually pretty common when minimum wage increases happen. Businesses often reduce hours or eliminate positions to manage labor costs. Your unemployment claim won't be affected by how many other people are filing - NYS Department of Labor processes each claim individually based on your work history and reason for separation.
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Dylan Baskin
•That's good to know about the claims processing. I was worried they'd run out of money or something if too many people applied at once.
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Ellie Lopez
yep happened at my old job too when they raised wages, cut like 12 people the next week
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Chad Winthrope
The job market usually adjusts over time, but short-term displacement is real. Make sure you're doing your weekly claims correctly and keeping track of your job search activities. NYS Department of Labor requires 3 job contacts per week minimum. Also document that your layoff was due to economic reasons, not performance - that helps with approval.
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Dylan Baskin
•Thanks for the job search reminder. Do I need to start looking immediately or can I wait until my claim is approved?
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Chad Winthrope
•Start immediately! Your job search requirement begins the week you file, not when you get approved. Keep a log of where you apply.
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Paige Cantoni
I've been trying to get through to NYS Department of Labor for weeks about my claim status but their phone lines are always busy. Must be all these new filers from the wage increase thing. Anyone have luck getting through recently?
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Kylo Ren
•I found this service called Claimyr that actually got me through to a real person at NYS Department of Labor in like 20 minutes. You go to claimyr.com and they handle the calling for you. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me hours of redialing busy signals.
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Paige Cantoni
•Interesting, I'll check that out. Getting so frustrated with the busy signals all day long.
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Nina Fitzgerald
THIS IS EXACTLY WHY MINIMUM WAGE HIKES ARE STUPID!!! Politicians don't understand basic economics and then act surprised when unemployment goes up. Now we're all fighting for fewer jobs while they pat themselves on the back for 'helping workers.
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Jason Brewer
Same thing happened to my cousin but she found something better paying within a month. Sometimes these things work out for the best, you know?
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