Labor Department on unemployment future during pandemic: “We are ready”

Thursday brought dozens of questions on unemployment issues during a joint legislative public hearing over Zoom.

New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon was in the hot seat for about an hour.

GOOD EVENING.SIGNS OF PROGRESSCOME WITHCONCERNS ABOUT APOTENTIAL SECONDWAVE OF JOBLESSCLAIMS.NEW CLAIMS ACROSSTHE COUNTRYREACHED A NEW LOWDURING THEPANDEMIC.BUT THERE WERESTILL MORE THANTHREE TIMES AS MANYCLAIMS IN NEW YORKAS THERE WERE LASTYEAR.NIKKI DEMENTRILOOKS AT THE STEPSTAKEN IN CASE WESEE ANOTHER SPIKE."NO ONE EVERENVISIONED SHUTTINGDOWN NEW YORKSTATE.

NO ONE.

AND SONOW WE DO ENVISIONIT AND WE KNOW HOWTO PREPARE FORTHAT."UNEMPLOYMENTCLAIMS ACROSS THECOUNTRY FELL BELOWA MILLION FOR THEFIRST TIME SINCE THESTART OF THEPANDEMIC.THE NEED FOR NEWYORKERS HAS BEENGREAT.40 BILLION DOLLARS INBENEFITS TO MORETHAN 3 MILLION NEWYORKERS SINCEMARCH."WE'VE PAID OVER 18YEARS WORTH OFBENEFITS IN JUSTOVER FIVE MONTHS."AND A SURGE INCLAIMS, MEANS ASURGE IN CALLS.PHONE NATSLABORCOMMISSIONERROBERTA REARDONSAYS THEIR CALLCENTER SAW A16,000% INCREASEDURING THEIR PEAK INMARCH."EVERYBODY IN THESYSTEM THOUGHTTHEY HAD TO CALL USAND THAT WAS ONE OFTHE FIRST PROBLEMSWE HAD."THE LABORDEPARTMENT HAD ITSISSUES PROCESSINGCLAIMS ANDDELIVERING MONEY.COUNTLESS NEWYORKERSINCLUDING PEOPLE INWESTERN NEW YORKSHARED THEIRUNEMPLOYMENTJOURNEYS WITH US."IT'S A HECK OF AMESS.""IT TRIES ON YOU, ITREALLY DOES.""WHAT DO YOU DO NOWIF YOU CAN'T GET ITAND THE SYSTEMTOTALLY BLOCKS YOU?""I WILL TELL YOUTHERE'S A LOT OFSLEEPLESS NIGHTSRIGHT NOW."REARDON SAYS THEYHAVE HIRED MOREREPRESENTATIVES --ADDED SERVERS ANDEXTENDED WORKWEEKS."WE KNOW MOREABOUT WHAT THISPANDEMIC CAN DO TOPEOPLE AND WE KNOWMORE ABOUT HOW TOHANDLE THIS VASTNUMBER OF PEOPLE INAN AGILE WAY."REARDON SAYS THEDEPARTMENT ISPREPARED FOR APOTENTIAL SECONDWAVE OF CLOSURES."WE ARE READY.

ANDWE KNOW THATSHOULD THE SECONDWAVE COME, WE KNOWWHERE THE PAINPOINTS ARE.""THE LABORDEPARTMENT SAYS IT'SALSO FOUND MORETHAN 42-THOUSANDFRAUD CLAIMS --STOPPING MORE THANA BILLION DOLLARS INBENEFITS.

WE'VESHARED SOME OFTHOSE STORIES HEREON 7EWN.

ND, 7EWN."