Following the state-ordered closure of businesses to stem the tide of the coronavirus, a record number of Pennsylvanians have filed new unemployment claims over the last two weeks.
As of Monday afternoon, the Department of Labor and Industry had received 834,684 new unemployment claims since March 16, when Gov. Tom Wolf announced the closure of all nonessential businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19.
"That eclipses anything we've experienced for a weekly total, or even a yearly total," Jerry Oleksiak, Department of Labor and Industry secretary, said during a media call Monday.
"This is a fluid, evolving, unprecedented crisis situation that we are facing," he said.
*****COVID-19 Employee Survey*****
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWWQQGP
How have you been impacted by COVID-19?
As a Newtown Township Supervisor I expect that I will be called upon to make critical decisions in the coming weeks in response to the financial impact on Newtown Township and citizens of the Coronavirus pandemic and the emergency mitigation measures currently in place. Consequently, it is important that I get feedback from local employees that have been impacted by COVID-19.
The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete. No identifying information is collected via this survey unless you opt-in to provide such information for purposes of follow-up or by subscribing to my email newsletter.
NOTE: If you are an EMPLOYER, please take my COVID-19 Business Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/D7CVTJ2
***********************************
The total jumped nearly 300,000 from March 24, when the Department of Labor and Industry had received 540,000 new unemployment claims in the first week of Wolf's planned closure.
Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the highest number of first-time claims ever filed in Pennsylvania was 168,200, but that was for the entire month of January 2010.
The surge in claims due to COVID-19 caused intermittent failures on the Department of Labor & Industry's website Sunday and Monday along with longer wait times over the phone in recent weeks. Officials urged those affected to be patient and to file online if possible to avoid wait times over the phone.
"Don't get discouraged. Continue to be patient and continue to apply," Oleksiak said. "We want to help you. We want to help people that are in these difficult situations."
Pennsylvania ― which Wolf last week said was the "epicenter of the unemployment crisis" with more than 3.3 million claims nationwide ― has likely seen more filers because the state does not have mandatory sick or family leave requirements like other large states, Oleksiak said.
Your new post is loading...
