* CBS 2…

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 38,897 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of June 29 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday.

While this number is based on advanced estimates, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will be releasing a final number later Thursday.

There were 1,314,000 new claims filed across the U.S. last week.

Illinois’ unemployment claims decreased from the week prior, when 45,752 new claims were filed. This is the most significant decrease I’ve seen over the last month.

There were 1,427,000 new claims filed across the U.S. during the week of June 22.

*** UPDATE *** I forgot to post this IDES email, but it’s important because the agency is basically admitting that the current system is a mess…

Effective July 9, 2020, we have implemented the “callback only model” as a temporary solution to effectively honor the order in which callers attempt to reach the call center for assistance. This new model will be in effect for the following call centers: Claimant Services Center (800.244.5631), IllinoisJobLink.com (877.342.7533), Benefit Payment Control (800.814.0513) and Employer Hotline (800.247.4984). What this means to you is that rather than wait on hold or call multiple times, you will receive a call when you are next in line without losing your place.

When you call us, it is important that you select the appropriate numeric option that best describes the reason for your call. This ensures that you will be served in the order that we receive your call. You will be called back Monday through Friday. Call back hours are as follows:

Claimant Services Center- 7:30 AM -7:00 PM
IllinoisJobLink.com, Benefit Payment Control and Employer Hotline- 8:30 AM-5:00 PM

You can only have a single pending callback scheduled in the system at a time. The call you receive from IDES should display on Caller ID as 800-244-5631 under normal circumstances. In certain cases, this number could be blocked by your phone carrier.

It is important that you answer the phone when the callback is made. If you miss your callback, IDES staff will attempt to leave you a voice mail. We will call you again shortly after the first attempt. If you cannot be reached after the second attempt, you will be required to contact the call center to schedule another callback.

Just hope you’re not in the shower when they call.

* Related…

* Woman Says Illinois Unemployment Office Promised Her Money After 4 Months Of Nothing, But She Ended Up With Only Half

* Illinois promised in April to improve the system to file for unemployment benefits. But people are still having trouble, and ‘hundreds of thousands of calls’ come in every week.

* California woman in shock after receiving more than $11K from IDES