Why is low unemployment good for NYS Department of Labor claim processing?
I've been wondering about this since my claim got approved faster than expected last month. My friend who filed during peak COVID said her NYS Department of Labor adjudication took forever, but mine was processed in just 2 weeks. Is it because there are fewer people filing claims now? Does low unemployment actually make the system work better for those of us who do need benefits? I'm curious how the workload affects their processing times.
9 comments


Paolo Marino
Yes, lower claim volume definitely helps NYS Department of Labor process individual cases faster. When unemployment is low, they have fewer adjudications to handle, so staff can focus more attention on each claim. During high unemployment periods, they get overwhelmed and everything slows down significantly.
0 coins
StardustSeeker
•That makes sense! I was worried there was something wrong with my claim being approved so quickly.
0 coins
Amina Bah
lower unemployment also means more jobs available when you're doing your job search requirements, which is good for getting off benefits faster
0 coins
Oliver Becker
From an economic perspective, low unemployment reduces the financial strain on the UI trust fund. This means NYS Department of Labor can maintain better service levels and doesn't have to implement emergency measures like they did during the pandemic. It also means more employers are hiring, so the required job search activities actually lead to real opportunities.
0 coins
Natasha Petrova
•Wait, does this mean they might make the job search requirements stricter when unemployment is low? I'm worried about that.
0 coins
Oliver Becker
•The basic requirements stay the same - you still need to do your weekly claims and job search activities. But when there are more jobs available, it's actually easier to meet those requirements authentically.
0 coins
Javier Hernandez
I had trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor during peak unemployment but found this service called Claimyr at claimyr.com that helped me get through to an agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped when the phone lines were constantly busy.
0 coins
Emma Davis
•interesting, might check that out if I have issues with my next claim
0 coins
LunarLegend
Yeah but when unemployment is low they also cut staff at NYS Department of Labor thinking they don't need as many people. Then when things get bad again they're understaffed and everything falls apart. It's a cycle.
0 coins