* Oy…

The Labor Department reported this morning that 847,000 more Americans filed new claims for state unemployment benefits last week as President Joseph R. Biden began his first week in the White House. Economists polled by Dow Jones had expected first-time claims to total 875,000. The feds have now reported about 75.6 million initial jobless claims over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic — a number equivalent to roughly 47 percent of the nation’s workforce. Since February, the United States has lost 9.8 million jobs, including 140,000 in December.

* CBS 2…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) reported 95,481 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Jan 18 in Illinois.

For comparison, during the same timeframe last year 9,762 people filed claims in Illinois. That’s an 878% increase. […]

There were 95,472 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Jan. 11 in Illinois.

There were 94,944 new unemployment claims filed during the week of Jan. 4 in Illinois.

* Meanwhile, here’s ABC 7…

The Illinois Department of Employment Security said it has caught or stopped nearly 1 million fraud cases since March 2020.

Now they’re warning that if you receive a 1099-G form but didn’t file for Illinois unemployment benefits, you may be a victim of fraud.

* Crusader…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Secretary of State Jesse White warned Illinois residents to be on alert for text message scams related to upcoming federal Real ID requirements.

Raoul and White are warning the public of scammers who are sending unsolicited text messages claiming to be from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The text message urges the recipient to click on a link to update their driver’s license or state ID to comport with upcoming federal Real ID requirements.

* And in Kansas…

Thousands of fraudulent unemployment claims are prompting Kansas to shut down its processing system this weekend, meaning some jobless workers will have payments delayed as the state installs new anti-fraud protections, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday.

Kelly acknowledged that fraudulent claims may have helped fuel a recent surge of filings for benefits, agreeing with Republican legislators.

The Democratic governor’s announcement came shortly after GOP lawmakers said they will push to protect employers from being forced to cover the cost of fraudulent claims in ex-employees’ names. They said the state Department of Labor doesn’t have a handle on the problem and that they’ve not gotten enough data or answers.

Kelly said the unemployment system will go down at 2 p.m. Saturday and go back up at 7 a.m. Tuesday. She said the state won’t pay benefits during that period but will work to catch up on claims when the system is back up.

…Adding… IDES…

The number of nonfarm jobs decreased over-the-year in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in December, according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The unemployment rate increased over-the-year in all metro areas. The official, BLS approved sub-state unemployment rate and nonfarm jobs series begins in 1990. Data reported prior to 1990 are not directly comparable due to updates in methodology.

“As Illinois works to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic with the ongoing vaccine rollout, IDES remains committed to supporting displaced workers and families by offering support and services to those who need it,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “The Pritzker administration and IDES continue to work with the U.S. Department of Labor to implement the new federal unemployment program changes as seamlessly as possible to ensure claimants have access to benefits for which they are eligible to receive.”

The number of nonfarm jobs decreased in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas. The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage decreases in total nonfarm jobs were the Peoria MSA (-9.6%, -16,300), the Elgin Metropolitan Division (-9.2%, -24,100) and the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division (-7.4%, -284,800). Three metro areas recorded their lowest total nonfarm jobs for the month of December on record (dating back to 1990).

Over-the-year, the unemployment rate increased in all 14 metropolitan areas; the metro areas with the largest unemployment rate increases were the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division (+5.9 points to 8.7%), the Decatur MSA (+3.0 points to 8.2%) and the Springfield MSA (+2.5 points to 6.3%). The not seasonally adjusted Illinois unemployment rate was 7.5 percent in December 2020. Nationally, the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in December 2020.