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Can someone explain why NYS officials claim the NYS unemployment rate is 4.5% but the NYS Labor Dept's Unemployment Benefits helpline has the recording that says "we are experiencing an extremely high volume of calls at this time and all agents are busy assisting other callers. Please try us back again later". I have called every couple of hours, all day, for several days and just get this recording. There does not seem to be the possibility of speaking with an agent.
NYS DOL moved or is moving lots of resources to tech (responding via online, etc..) and also is experiencing a labor shortage. What new hires they do get are mostly trained with deal with online which is where NYS is trying to move many agencies.
Long story short there aren't enough DOL staff to answer calls, and it isn't going to get better anytime soon.
During covid with help of federal funds NYS like others was able to hire additional staff, but that's all over now.
Best you can do is keep calling. Monday and Friday are likely not going to work since everyone and their mother calls on those days, especially first thing in morning or last in afternoon/early evening before NYS DOL phone lines shut down.
Try also getting your local state or NYC elected officials involved. Sometimes that lights a fire under DOL's behinds. Also use DOL's email/online portal to send messages.
It seems like there's a mismatch between the official stats and what's happening on the ground. Maybe the high call volume is due to more people needing help than the stats show, or it could be a staffing issue. Either way, it's not helpful when you can't even get through to talk to someone.
Keep in mind that the rate depends on participation in the labor market. So, that percentage is based on those in the actual market, not everyone.
That wouldn’t affect the point he’s trying to say that it says higher than normal call volume. If people aren’t taking part in the market they wouldn’t be calling for unemployment.
The poster is trying to say it’s 4.5 percent unemployment which is lower than recently but they are saying more people are calling. He attempting to say the government is skewing the number which you never know.
That wouldn’t affect the point he’s trying to say that it says higher than normal call volume. If people aren’t taking part in the market they wouldn’t be calling for unemployment.
The poster is trying to say it’s 4.5 percent unemployment which is lower than recently but they are saying more people are calling. He attempting to say the government is skewing the number which you never know.
That was literally my point. Participation doesn't mean that everyone 16 and older is in the labor market. It just means that the percentage is in relation to those that actually participate.
That is true too, as many people just quit their jobs and either go into business for themselves or just fall out of the labor force.
Or got fired from a job for non qualifying reasons(cursing out boss/customers, chronic lateness/absence, etc)
Those people are basically ghost as far as statistics. They don’t qualify for benefits so they just go home and start hitting craigslist or indeed for new employment. People like that generally do not reach out to the government for assistance so there is no record of them being unemployed(or employed for that matter).
So when governor dingbat touts low unemployment numbers it should be taken with a teaspoon of salt.
Or got fired from a job for non qualifying reasons(cursing out boss/customers, chronic lateness/absence, etc)
Those people are basically ghost as far as statistics. They don’t qualify for benefits so they just go home and start hitting craigslist or indeed for new employment. People like that generally do not reach out to the government for assistance so there is no record of them being unemployed(or employed for that matter).
So when governor dingbat touts low unemployment numbers it should be taken with a teaspoon of salt.
This true and if we will be completely honest, there are likely multiple governors/politicians across the country that don't take this into consideration.
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