NYS Department of Labor weekly claims up 40% in my area - why is unemployment increasing so much?
I've been tracking the NYS Department of Labor weekly claim numbers in my county and they've gone up about 40% since October. My neighbor just got laid off from her manufacturing job and said the NYS Department of Labor office told her they're seeing way more new claims than usual. Is this happening statewide? What's causing all these job losses? I'm worried about my own position at this point.
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TillyCombatwarrior
The NYS Department of Labor releases monthly employment statistics that show several factors contributing to increased unemployment claims. Manufacturing has been hit particularly hard due to supply chain disruptions and reduced consumer spending. Construction and retail sectors are also seeing layoffs as companies prepare for economic uncertainty. The good news is that if you do lose your job, the current unemployment benefits system is processing claims much faster than during the pandemic.
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Dyllan Nantx
•That's somewhat reassuring about the processing speed. Do you know if there are any job training programs through NYS Department of Labor for people switching industries?
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Anna Xian
yeah my company just announced layoffs too, they said its because of high interest rates making everything more expensive
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Jungleboo Soletrain
I work in HR and we're seeing this across multiple companies in our network. The main drivers seem to be: 1) Companies over-hired during the recovery period, 2) Rising operational costs forcing budget cuts, 3) Automation replacing certain positions, and 4) Economic uncertainty making companies more conservative. If you're concerned about your position, I'd recommend documenting your work accomplishments and updating your resume now rather than waiting.
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Rajan Walker
•This is so stressful! Should I start applying for other jobs now even though I haven't been laid off yet? I don't want to seem disloyal to my current employer but I'm really worried.
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Jungleboo Soletrain
•It's always smart to keep your options open. You don't have to actively job hunt, but updating your LinkedIn profile and networking within your industry is just good career management, not disloyalty.
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Nadia Zaldivar
When I got laid off last month, I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor by phone to check on my claim status. The wait times were insane - like 2+ hours. I ended up using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get connected to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows exactly how it works. Made the whole process way less stressful when I needed to resolve an issue with my weekly certification.
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Anna Xian
•how much does that cost? sounds too good to be true
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Nadia Zaldivar
•It's definitely worth it when you consider how much time you'd otherwise spend on hold or trying to get through. Way better than the frustration of calling 50 times and never reaching anyone.
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Lukas Fitzgerald
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! Companies can just lay people off whenever they want and workers get scraps. I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months trying to appeal a disqualification and it's like they don't even care about people's lives
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Ev Luca
•I hear you on the frustration. Have you tried filing a complaint with your local representative's office? Sometimes they can help escalate issues that get stuck in the bureaucracy.
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Ev Luca
Same thing happening here upstate. My whole department got eliminated and when I filed with NYS Department of Labor they said there's been a big increase in claims. At least the job search requirements are reasonable now - 3 contacts per week instead of the crazy numbers some states require.
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