What is U6 unemployment rate and how does it affect NYS Department of Labor benefits?

U6 is the broadest unemployment measure that includes not just people collecting unemployment benefits, but also discouraged workers who've stopped looking and people working part-time who want full-time work. It's different from the standard U3 rate that NYS Department of Labor uses for most decisions. The U6 rate doesn't directly change your benefit amount or duration, but it can influence whether extended benefits get triggered in New York state when unemployment is particularly high.

The U6 rate is more of an economic indicator than something that directly affects your weekly claim filing. NYS Department of Labor uses the standard unemployment rate for triggering extended benefits programs. But you're right to think about it - when U6 is elevated it usually means the job market is tougher, which can affect how strict they are about job search requirements and work search verification.

I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to ask about extended benefits eligibility when my claim was running low. If anyone needs to actually talk to an agent about benefit extensions or labor market programs, I found this service called Claimyr that helped me get through their phone system. They have a website at claimyr.com and there's a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Made it way easier than sitting on hold for hours trying to get answers about my claim status.

honestly the whole unemployment system is confusing with all these different rates and measurements... i just want to know if my benefits will last long enough to find a decent job, not trying to become an economist here lol

The U6 thing reminded me of when I was on unemployment during the 2008 recession - they had all these extended programs available because the broader unemployment measures were so high. But that was federal programs, not sure what NYS Department of Labor offers now for state extended benefits. My cousin in Buffalo was on unemployment for almost a year back then with all the extensions.

I'm new to collecting unemployment and this U6 discussion is really eye-opening. I didn't realize there were different ways to measure unemployment beyond what I see in the news. My question is - where can I actually find the current U6 rate for New York to get a sense of how the broader job market is doing? And does NYS Department of Labor publish any guidance about how labor market conditions might affect things like job search requirements or benefit extensions? I want to understand what I might be facing as I continue my job search.