What is classical unemployment and how does it affect Washington ESD benefits?

Classical unemployment is when job losses happen because wages are too high compared to what employers want to pay, so they hire fewer workers or invest in automation instead. Your situation with the manufacturing job sounds like it could fit - companies replacing workers with machines is a classic example. For Washington ESD purposes though, it doesn't matter what type of unemployment caused your job loss, just that you meet the eligibility requirements.

I think there's some confusion here about classical vs other types of unemployment. Classical unemployment specifically refers to situations where real wages are above the market-clearing level, often due to minimum wage laws or union contracts. It's different from cyclical unemployment (recession-related) or structural unemployment (skills mismatch). But like the previous poster said, Washington ESD doesn't care about these distinctions when processing your UI claim.

If you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD by phone, you might want to check out Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have this service that helps people get through to Washington ESD agents without sitting on hold for hours. I used it last month when my weekly claim got flagged and couldn't get through the normal way. There's even a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works.

getting back to the original question - classical unemployment is basically when there are people willing to work at lower wages but employers still won't hire them. it happens when wages get stuck above what the market would naturally set. this is different from when people lose jobs because of recessions or because their skills become outdated

All these unemployment categories are just ways for economists to explain why the job market sucks. Whether it's classical, structural, cyclical, or whatever - we're all just trying to pay our bills while waiting for Washington ESD to process our claims! The system is broken no matter what fancy name they give to our situation.

Classical unemployment theory comes from economists who think markets always clear naturally if left alone. They blame unemployment on things like minimum wage laws, unions, or government interference preventing wages from falling to 'natural' levels. In reality most unemployment we see is from business cycles, technological changes, or structural shifts in the economy.

I think the key point for Washington ESD purposes is that they don't distinguish between different causes of unemployment when determining benefit eligibility. Whether your job loss fits the classical model or any other economic theory, you still need to file your weekly claims, do your job search activities, and meet all the standard requirements.

For what it's worth, I had a similar situation in food service where they installed self-ordering kiosks and cut staff by 60%. My Washington ESD claim went through fine and they never asked about the specific reason for the layoffs. Just had to verify I was laid off through no fault of my own.

The automation thing is happening everywhere. My brother lost his warehouse job to robots, my sister's bank branch closed because of online banking, and now AI is threatening office jobs too. Classical unemployment theory doesn't really account for how fast technology is changing the job market.

Just want to echo what someone said earlier about Claimyr if you're having trouble reaching Washington ESD. I was stuck in adjudication hell for a month and couldn't get anyone on the phone to explain what was happening. Used their service and finally got connected to an agent who cleared up the issue in 10 minutes.

Classical unemployment is supposed to be voluntary in theory - like workers choosing not to accept lower wages. But most of what we see in the real world is involuntary unemployment where people want to work but can't find jobs at any reasonable wage. The manufacturing job losses you're talking about definitely fall into that category.

honestly just focus on getting your UI benefits and finding new work. all this economic theory stuff is interesting but won't help you pay rent. make sure you're doing your job search activities and keeping good records for Washington ESD

From a practical standpoint, Washington ESD mainly cares about whether you're able and available for work, actively seeking employment, and meeting your weekly claim requirements. The economic classification of your unemployment situation isn't something they factor into benefit decisions.

One thing to keep in mind is that even if your job loss fits the classical unemployment model, you might still be eligible for additional training programs or resources through WorkSourceWA if your industry is declining. Worth looking into if manufacturing jobs are becoming harder to find in your area.

The bottom line is that classical unemployment is just one way economists try to explain job market problems. Whether your situation fits that model or not, Washington ESD will process your claim based on their standard eligibility criteria. Don't overthink it - just make sure you're meeting all the requirements for your weekly claims.