* Oy…
A further 3.2 million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as the economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to mount.
The new applications brought the total number of jobless claims since mid-March to 33.3 million.
That amounts to more than 15% of the US workforce.
However, it was less than the 3.8 million a week ago and down from the record 6.9 million for one week in March.
* Illinois estimate…
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 74,476 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 27 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday. […]
During the week of April 20, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates 81,245 new unemployment claims were filed in Illinois.
During the week of April 20, there were 3,169,000 new claims filed across the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 102,736 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 13 in Illinois
*** UPDATE *** Yikes…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) today released new statewide data showing the department processed 74,476 new initial unemployment claims for the week ending May 2, and with upward revisions from weeks past, has now processed 1,006,925 initial unemployment claims from March 1 through May 2. This nearly 12 times the number of claims the department processed over the same period last year, when IDES processed just 78,100 initial unemployment claims.
Statewide unemployment claims data, which reflects activity for the week prior, will be available on the IDES website every Thursday afternoon. Previous initial claims data has undergone an upward revision to properly account for a number of successfully processed claims. While the number of initial claims has slightly declined over the last two weeks, IDES may experience an increase when the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program becomes available on Monday, May 11, 2020.
Workers who believe they may be eligible for new federal benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, must first apply for regular unemployment insurance before applying for benefits under PUA when a new application portal opens on Monday via the IDES website.
Claimants who receive an eligibility determination of $0 can then appeal that decision by providing verification of wages earned or they can submit a claim for PUA benefits. Claimants who have already applied for and been denied regular unemployment benefits can submit a claim through the new PUA portal when it opens. Receiving a denial for regular unemployment benefits is a mandatory first step in determining eligibility for PUA.
PUA provides 100% federally-funded unemployment benefits for individuals who are unemployed for specified COVID-19-related reasons and are not eligible for the state’s regular unemployment insurance program, the extended benefit (EB) program under Illinois law, or the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program (PEUC), including independent contractors and sole-proprietors. Up to 39 weeks’ worth of benefits are potentially available under the program for COVID-19-related unemployment claims.
IDES is contracting with Deloitte to implement and maintain the web-based PUA program. While a program of this magnitude would normally take up to a year to design and implement, the department worked swiftly to get the program up and running within 4 weeks.
PUA claims will be backdated to the individuals’ first week of unemployment, but no earlier than February 2, 2020, and will continue for as long as the individual remains unemployed as a result of COVID-19, but no later than the week ending December 26, 2020. The program is similar to the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program which provides unemployment benefits in response to local disasters.
- Swoosh - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 9:13 am:
The statistic that’s missing is how many returned to work.
For example, my dad was laid off and filed for unemployment in early April. Last week, his employer received the PPP and he was rehired.
We need to know how many of the 33 million who filed returned to work.
- Bob Loblaw - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 9:49 am:
It’s a shame leadership in both parties has forced this false choice on us: March people back to work so they can catch a contagious deadly infection or let everybody starve in their homes. Failed leadership at every level. The lockdown was supposed to be used to stand up a competent testing tracing program. Fail. Now it drags on. They ask us to stay home but don’t provide the resources for millions to actually survive while they do it. Fail. Now people are getting antsy to return to a “normal” that isn’t coming back.
- SSL - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 9:54 am:
The layoffs happened quickly. The hiring will take years. This will make the great recession of 2008 look like a walk in the park.
- Bothanspy - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:26 am:
Expect another spike in IL numbers as the independent contractor portal opens up at IDES. Curious if those claims will be counted as new claims or not, since the requirement for independent contractors is to apply for regular UI and be denied.
- AndyIllini - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 10:45 am:
“We need to know how many of the 33 million who filed returned to work.”
There were 3.17M initial claims and 22.6M continuing claims, although from what I understand there is a week lag in counting continuing claims.
The PPP is a good, but mixed point. It’s good that its keeping people on payrolls, but it is essentially a replacement for paying unemployment benefits. There are companies already planning to lay people off once the plan ends, from what I heard on CNBC this morning.
There are also issues with people having trouble filing claims that could make the numbers higher than they are.
- CJ - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:03 am:
But sure, let’s keep everything locked down…yup
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:05 am:
=== let’s keep everything locked down…yup===
Polling agrees with you.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 11:26 am:
It’s deflating, these numbers and the damage this virus has done to 10 years of job growth and economic growth too.
I want businesses open, I want jobs back, but I’m not ready to trade jobs or businesses for lives in a arbitrary way during a global pandemic when those same employees and businesses could be open, but be open as hot spots to spread this virus, first asymptomatically, then later spread as tracing could (if it’s up) show well outside the immediate.
If a business is serious to this overt immediacy, I’d expect that same business to then be wholly against it getting legal immunity if they are an epicenter later for an outbreak.
You can’t tell me it’s safe to open then push for legal immunity if your business later is found to be that tragic epicenter because being open was the want not a necessity in this pandemic.
- Tiffany M. Cooke - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 2:56 pm:
I normally get my unemployment on Thursday and i was accepted. But no money in my acct. Why? Is it due to Cinco de Mayo.
- Grimm - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 4:35 pm:
I completely understand the massive undertaking IDES has had to go through these past weeks, having said that, however, my spouse has had to apply for unemployment benefits and, due to a discrepancy, they required her to call a specific number to talk to an agent. She’s been on the phone calling on average every 10 minutes since 8:30 this morning and has either been told to call back or has been disconnected. As of 4:30 this afternoon, still no contact.
- IT Guy - Thursday, May 7, 20 @ 6:37 pm:
IDES is contracting with Deloitte to implement and maintain the web-based PUA program.
Not a very reassuring statement given their performance on many projects that failed and ran over budget.
- Anonymous - Saturday, May 23, 20 @ 8:38 pm:
The real story is the delay in the PUA system IDES refuses to address. The lack of training of staff for PUA is an outrage. I have been waiting in limbo since March, the portal says payment hold with no issues what is going on this is a travesty.
You failed IDES , the director should step down like in Arizona and Oklahoma. Processing claims is not funding claims. Absolute fail, step down Directors of IDES you failed regular UI and claim success, you fail PUA and claim success, bunch of frauds thousands wait for paid claims and you know it, quit lying. Deloitte is being sued in Ohio for the data breach what is Illinois doing, giving them a pass? Who got paid answer the 22 million graft payment question, 22 million so applicants can wait, and the media eat up processing numbers cmon . The real story is mismanagement and pain inflicted by the slowest delivery of emergency funds ever. It’s called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, not when you get to it assistance. Calling for the Attorney General and Inspector General to investigate the shoddy implementation of this program. If the Gov does not fire the head of IDES I will be looking for a new governor. Tired of bogus business men janky pols inflicting poor decision making on this state. You in the house and senate are a utter disgrace you should all step down, you failed the state stay in place and 90 plus and still no Benefits, what a poor excuse for managing. Fail fail fail