New York State Department of Labor announces initial unemployment insurance claims numbers in midst of the coronavirus pandemic

Over 80,500 initial unemployment insurance claims filed in the last week – overall claims increased by over 520% over past year

The New York States Department of Labor on Thursday announced the initial unemployment insurance claims data for New York state for the week ending March 21, 2020 – the first week in which claims were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial unemployment insurance claims last week, increased over the past year by 520% in New York. Overall, more than 80,500 claims were filed last week. Initial claims for UI increased by a minimum of 284% in each of New York’s 10 labor market regions.

Additional information about New York’s UI claims, including regional and industry, will be forthcoming.

From Monday, March 16, to Saturday, March 21, the DOL received over 1,734,100 total calls and over 2,270,300 web hits. DOL has taken a number of steps to address this unprecedented increase in call volume and web traffic, including implementing a new, more efficient filing system based on the first letter of the applicant's last name (alphabetical order):

1. A-F : Monday
2. G-N : Tuesday
3. O-Z : Wednesday
4. Missed your day: Thursday through Saturday

The DOL is “dedicated to ensuring that every New Yorker who is entitled to UI benefits will receive all benefits due.” New Yorkers seeking to file UI claims can visit labor.ny.gov or call the telephone claim center at 888-783-1370.