Labor and Industry struggles with jobless claims

1.3 million file for unemployment compensation in past four weeks

The state Department of Labor and Industry continues to struggle with unemployment compensation claims -- 1.3 million of which have been filed in the past four weeks, after the state closed non-essential businesses in mid-March.

The blitz of claims represents 32 times the number filed in the preceding three weeks, according to information provided by Labor Secretary Jerry Oleksiak in a teleconference Monday.

Claimants are encouraged to file for benefits online, but many still need or want to use the phone, resulting in long waits and frustration -- which the department has dealt with by bringing back 70 employees experienced in unemployment compensation, adding the "Watson" artificial intelligence program to answer routine questions, the hiring of 100 additional "intermittent intake" interviewers and the recruitment of workers from other agencies, including departments of Transportation, Community and Economic Development and Revenue, Oleksiak said.

Because of action by the federal government, self-employed people and gig workers who are out of work because of the COVID-19 crisis will be able to open claims through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program in about two weeks, but they need to wait for specific instructions before doing so, according to Susan Dickinson, director of the Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy.

Like regular unemployment, PUA provides 26 weeks of benefits, Dickinson said.

Those self-employed people and gig workers should not try to open regular claims, because "that will clog up the system," Dickinson said.

People can't "file in advance" for any unemployment programs, but must wait until they're actually out of work, Dickinson said.

People who receive unemployment benefits -- including the self-employed and gig workers -- will automatically receive an extra $600 a week, starting with the week that ended April 4 through the one ending July 25, based on the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

The money will arrive about a week later than regular unemployment checks, Dickinson said.

The department is still preparing notices on how claimants should apply for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which extends unemployment insurance for an extra 13 weeks to those who've exhausted their benefits, Dickinson said.

The department has launched a COVID-19 hiring portal, available at pacareer link.pa.gov, listing jobs that are immediately available, Oleksiak said.

The department has caught up with a backlog of PIN number mail outs, so people should be getting their PIN numbers within a day or two, if they haven't already, Dickinson indicated.

Claimants will not lose benefits because of PIN delays, Oleksiak said.

Unemployment compensation is a complicated program, especially when there are issues to deal with like severance pay and pensions that may reduce the amount of benefits for claimants, Dickinson said.

Asked whether the U.S. might have been better off with a strategy adopted by some European countries -- paying companies to keep their workers on the payroll, rather than paying unemployment benefits to workers who've been laid off -- Oleksiak said yes, "but that's above my pay grade."

Some businesses have been doing that on their own, which is "wonderful," but it's a "complicated decision" for them, and some companies don't "have that luxury," Oleksiak said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.