Washington ESD cyclical unemployment claims - business cycle job losses
Lost my job at Boeing last month due to reduced aircraft orders and the economic downturn. My supervisor said it's temporary layoffs tied to the business cycle, not permanent shutdowns. I filed for Washington ESD unemployment but I'm confused about how this type of cyclical unemployment affects my claim. Do I need to prove it's related to economic conditions? Will Washington ESD treat this differently than other layoffs? I've never dealt with unemployment tied to business cycles before.
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Ezra Beard
Cyclical unemployment is just regular unemployment as far as Washington ESD is concerned. You don't need to prove it's business cycle related - that's an economics term. What matters is you were laid off through no fault of your own.
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Tobias Lancaster
•Thanks! So Washington ESD doesn't categorize different types of unemployment beyond fault/no fault?
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Ezra Beard
•Exactly. Whether it's cyclical, structural, or frictional unemployment doesn't matter to them. They just care about eligibility requirements.
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Statiia Aarssizan
same thing happened to me in construction - seasonal downturns always hit us but washington esd treats it like any other layoff
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Tobias Lancaster
•Did you have any issues with your claim? I'm worried they might question the temporary nature.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•nope, went through fine. just had to do the usual weekly claims and job search stuff
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Reginald Blackwell
I've been through this exact situation with Washington ESD. The key thing is your separation reason code. If your employer reported it as a layoff due to lack of work, you're golden. Cyclical unemployment typically falls under 'lack of work' which is a qualifying reason. Make sure to check your claim status online to verify the separation reason.
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Tobias Lancaster
•How do I check the separation reason code? I can't find it on my account dashboard.
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Reginald Blackwell
•Log into your SecureAccess Washington account, go to unemployment services, then claim details. It should show your employer's reported reason for separation.
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Aria Khan
•This is exactly where I got stuck! I couldn't reach anyone at Washington ESD to verify my separation code. Ended up using Claimyr to get through to an agent who confirmed everything was correct. Their service at claimyr.com helped me skip the hold times and they have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.
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Everett Tutum
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS BROKEN! They don't care if it's cyclical or not - they just want to deny claims and make you jump through hoops. I've been fighting with Washington ESD for months over a similar situation.
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Sunny Wang
•What specific issues are you having? Maybe we can help troubleshoot.
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Everett Tutum
•They're saying my layoff was voluntary somehow even though it was clearly business cycle related cutbacks. Makes no sense!
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Reginald Blackwell
•That sounds like a miscommunication with your employer's reporting. You should appeal that determination if you haven't already.
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Hugh Intensity
Wait, I'm confused about cyclical unemployment vs regular unemployment. Are there different benefit amounts or something? I thought all Washington ESD unemployment was the same?
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Ezra Beard
•No difference in benefits. Cyclical unemployment is just an economic term describing layoffs that happen during economic downturns. Washington ESD doesn't distinguish between types.
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Hugh Intensity
•Oh okay, that makes sense. I was overthinking it.
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Tobias Lancaster
Update: My claim was approved! Turns out my employer did report it correctly as lack of work. Thanks everyone for the help understanding that Washington ESD doesn't really care about the economic theory behind it.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•awesome! glad it worked out
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Ezra Beard
•Great news! Make sure to keep filing your weekly claims on time.
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Sunny Wang
For anyone else wondering about cyclical unemployment - it's basically when the economy contracts and businesses lay people off due to reduced demand. It's different from structural unemployment (skills mismatch) or frictional unemployment (between jobs). But like everyone said, Washington ESD treats them all the same.
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Hugh Intensity
•Thanks for the economics lesson! That actually helps me understand what happened at my company too.
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Tobias Lancaster
•Yeah, now I get why they called it cyclical - it's tied to the business cycle ups and downs.
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Aria Khan
Just want to add that if anyone is having trouble reaching Washington ESD to verify their claim details or separation codes, I highly recommend checking out Claimyr. I was stuck for weeks trying to get through to confirm my cyclical layoff was processed correctly. Their phone service made it so much easier.
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Effie Alexander
•How much does that cost though? I'm already out of work and money's tight.
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Aria Khan
•I don't want to get into pricing details, but for me it was worth it to get answers quickly rather than spending hours on hold. Plus they have that demo video that explains exactly how it works if you want to check it out first.
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Reginald Blackwell
One more tip for cyclical unemployment situations - if your employer indicated you might be recalled when business picks up, make sure you understand Washington ESD's rules about returning to work. You need to be able and available for work, but you can still collect benefits while on temporary layoff.
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Tobias Lancaster
•Good point! My supervisor did mention possible recall in 6 months. I should clarify this with Washington ESD.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•yeah that's important - i had to turn down some temp work because my regular job called me back sooner than expected
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Everett Tutum
Still think Washington ESD makes this way more complicated than it needs to be. Cyclical unemployment should be automatic approval since it's clearly not the worker's fault.
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Ezra Beard
•Most cyclical layoffs are automatically approved if reported correctly by the employer. The issues usually come from miscommunication or paperwork errors.
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Everett Tutum
•Maybe, but the system is still a nightmare to navigate when something goes wrong.
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Melissa Lin
My cousin went through this with the hotel industry during COVID - cyclical downturn hit tourism hard. Washington ESD processed her claim normally once the employer reported lack of work correctly.
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Tobias Lancaster
•That's reassuring to hear. Sounds like as long as the employer codes it right, Washington ESD handles it fine.
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Sunny Wang
•COVID was a bit different since they had special programs, but yes, regular cyclical unemployment is straightforward if documented properly.
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Hugh Intensity
One question - do I need to mention that my layoff was cyclical in my weekly claims? Or just focus on job search activities?
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Reginald Blackwell
•Just focus on your job search activities. The cyclical nature was already established when you filed your initial claim.
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Ezra Beard
•Right, weekly claims are about ongoing eligibility - being able, available, and actively seeking work.
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Lydia Santiago
totally relate to this - manufacturing always goes up and down with the economy
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Tobias Lancaster
•Yeah, it's frustrating but at least unemployment benefits help bridge the gap.
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Aria Khan
For anyone still struggling to get through to Washington ESD about their cyclical unemployment claims, seriously consider Claimyr. I was spinning my wheels for weeks until I used their service to actually talk to a human who could verify my claim status.
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Romeo Quest
•Is this like a paid service to help you call unemployment? Never heard of it before.
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Aria Khan
•Yeah, they help you get through to Washington ESD agents without waiting on hold forever. Check out their site claimyr.com or watch their demo to see how it works.
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Val Rossi
Cyclical unemployment is actually really common in Washington state given our aerospace and tech industries. Both are sensitive to economic cycles.
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Tobias Lancaster
•Makes sense - Boeing definitely follows the aviation industry cycles.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•construction too - we're always first to get hit when the economy slows down
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Ezra Beard
Final thought - regardless of whether your unemployment is cyclical, structural, or frictional, Washington ESD's requirements are the same: you must be able to work, available for work, and actively seeking work. The economic theory behind your job loss doesn't change those basics.
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Tobias Lancaster
•Perfect summary. Thanks everyone for helping me understand this isn't as complicated as I thought!
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Sunny Wang
•Exactly right. The key is meeting Washington ESD's eligibility requirements regardless of the unemployment type.
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