What is structural unemployment and how does it affect NYS Department of Labor benefits?
I keep hearing about structural unemployment in the news and I'm wondering if this applies to my situation. I worked in retail management for 8 years but my company closed all their physical stores last year to go online-only. I've been filing weekly claims with NYS Department of Labor since March but I'm starting to think my whole industry might be disappearing. Is structural unemployment a real thing that affects UI benefits? Should I be looking at completely different careers instead of trying to find another retail management job?
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Brielle Johnson
Structural unemployment happens when there's a fundamental shift in the economy that eliminates certain types of jobs permanently. What you're describing with retail stores closing for online business is a classic example. The good news is it doesn't change your eligibility for NYS Department of Labor benefits - you still get the same weekly benefit amount and duration. However, you might want to consider retraining programs that NYS Department of Labor offers through their workforce development partnerships.
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Jake Sinclair
•That's helpful, thank you. Do you know if the job search requirements change if I'm looking at completely different fields? I've been applying to retail positions but maybe I should broaden my search.
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Honorah King
my brother went through this same thing when his factory closed down permanently. took him 6 months to realize he needed to learn new skills instead of looking for similar factory work that just wasn't there anymore
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Oliver Brown
I had a similar experience when I was laid off from my newspaper job. The NYS Department of Labor job search requirements are pretty flexible - you just need to show you're actively looking for suitable work. As your unemployment continues, 'suitable work' can expand to include different industries, especially if there are limited opportunities in your original field. Document everything in your job search log and consider using programs like WIOA for retraining if you decide to switch careers completely.
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Jake Sinclair
•I didn't know about WIOA programs. Is that something I apply for through NYS Department of Labor or separately?
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Oliver Brown
•You can get information about WIOA through your local One-Stop Career Center, which coordinates with NYS Department of Labor. They'll help you figure out if you qualify for retraining funds.
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Mary Bates
This is exactly why I tell people to always have backup skills. The economy changes fast and whole industries can disappear practically overnight. At least you're getting your weekly benefits while you figure this out.
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Clay blendedgen
I've been dealing with NYS Department of Labor for months trying to get through to someone about my specific situation and it's been impossible with their phone system. Recently found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent who could explain how the job search requirements work when your whole industry is changing. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you need to talk to someone directly about your options.
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Jake Sinclair
•Interesting, I'll look into that. I've been trying to call for weeks with no luck.
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Ayla Kumar
yeah structural unemployment is basically when technology or economic changes make certain jobs obsolete forever, not just temporarily like in a recession. affects tons of people these days with automation and online shopping
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