Washington ESD unemployment benefits - who loses from unemployment system?

That makes sense. So it's like any insurance system where everyone pays in but only some people need to use it.

exactly, and washington's fund is actually pretty well managed compared to other states

This is true! My cousin works at a grocery store and she said they definitely notice when unemployment runs out for people.

Economic multiplier effect - every dollar of unemployment benefits generates about $1.50 in economic activity according to most studies.

Interesting, I haven't heard of that before. Did it actually work for you?

Yeah, got through in like 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. Worth it just to get my questions answered.

That's smart - the phone system at Washington ESD is definitely overwhelmed most of the time.

But that's how insurance works - you pay premiums hoping you never need it. Would you complain about paying car insurance if you never had an accident?

Car insurance is different, that's protecting other people from my mistakes. This is just paying people not to work.

Actually unemployment benefits are paid by employer taxes, not individual taxpayers. And you have to be actively searching for work to qualify.

Yeah, I've seen people get disqualified for things that seemed pretty minor.

My friend got denied because she quit her job due to harassment, even though she had documentation. The appeal process took months.

True, there's definitely a correlation between layoffs and higher UI tax rates for those employers.

But those same businesses benefit when their former employees have spending money from UI benefits.

Fair point - it's more complex than just looking at the tax burden.

That's a good point. The eligibility requirements can be pretty strict.

Gig workers can actually qualify now in Washington, but the process is confusing and a lot of people don't know about it.

This is the right way to think about it. We're all one job loss away from needing help.

Easy to say when you're not the one paying the bills for everyone else.

But everyone who works pays into the system through their employer. It's not charity, it's insurance we all fund.

How much does something like that cost?

I'd rather pay a reasonable fee than lose my benefits because I couldn't get through to fix a technical issue.

True, UI is meant to be temporary assistance, not a solution to structural unemployment.

At least Washington has good retraining programs through WorkSource. Not perfect but better than nothing.

That explains why it's so hard to get through on the phone!

Yeah, they've been trying to modernize the computer systems for years but it's slow going.

Exactly - the cost of unemployment benefits is way less than the cost of dealing with the social problems that would result without them.

Plus people getting benefits have to keep looking for work and accepting suitable job offers. It's not just free money.

Three weeks is crazy long to wait for something that urgent.

Right? And it turned out to be something simple that took the agent 5 minutes to fix once I could actually talk to someone.

Good point - UI benefits act as automatic economic stabilizers during downturns.

yeah and washington actually has one of the better unemployment systems compared to other states ive lived in