What is unemployment NYC - confused about NYS Department of Labor benefits in the city

There's no separate NYC unemployment system - you file through the same NYS Department of Labor website (my.ny.gov) whether you live in NYC, Albany, or anywhere else in New York State. Unemployment insurance (UI) is a state program that provides temporary financial assistance while you search for work. You'll need to meet eligibility requirements like having worked enough quarters and losing your job through no fault of your own.

The basic process is: 1) File your initial claim on my.ny.gov, 2) Complete your weekly claims every week (even if your initial claim is still pending), 3) Register for work search on jobs.ny.gov, 4) Log at least 3 work search activities per week. The maximum weekly benefit in 2025 is $504, but your amount depends on your previous earnings. Processing can take 2-3 weeks if there are no issues.

I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I had questions about my claim! The phone lines are always busy. 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 how it works. Really saved me when my claim got stuck in adjudication.

same boat as you OP, lost my restaurant job in brooklyn last month and had no clue about any of this stuff. the my.ny.gov site is kinda confusing at first but you get used to it. make sure you have your social security card and previous employer info ready when you apply

Just to clarify - when people say 'unemployment NYC' they're usually just referring to filing for unemployment benefits while living in NYC. It's still the same NYS Department of Labor system. The benefit amount and rules are the same statewide, though job search requirements might vary slightly by region.