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Some unemployed New Yorkers still waiting to recieve benefits
As the nation's economy reels from the coronavirus pandemic, New York has seen a unprecedented number of jobless claims, leading to some New Yorkers who filed for unemployment benefits weeks ago still without the money they need to stay afloat.
NEW YORK - The largest number of Americans since the Great Depression are unemployed today because of the coronavirus pandemic. Compounding that, many unemployed workers in the region who filed for benefits weeks ago are still waiting for their first check, and as each week passes making ends meet is becoming more and more difficult for people trying to keep their heads above water
Governor Andrew Cuomo has admitted that New York’s system is backlogged, pointing the finger at the record number of unemployment claims that have been filed because of the crisis.
To put it in perspective, Cuomo says that the New York State Labor Department paid out $2.1B in unemployment benefits for all of 2019, and in just the last two months, the state has paid out $6.8B in jobless claims.
“The system that was designed to handle hundreds of applications is now handling thousands of applications,” Cuomo said. “It’s overwhelmed.”
Despite the grim jobless numbers, President Trump has said that he is optimistic that the nation's economy will bounce back quickly.