Name: Missouri unemployment claims more than double as stay-home orders take hold
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Missouri unemployment claims more than double as stay-home orders take hold

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or×On your next view you will be asked to:×Subscribe today for unlimited access×Subscribe today for unlimited access×You've run out of free articles. Subscribe for just $5 for 5 months to keep readingorYou are the owner of this article.© 2020 Lee EnterprisesMissouri unemployment claims more than double as stay-home orders take holdShare thisJEFFERSON CITY — Missouri unemployment claims last week more than doubled from an already staggering surge, rocketing up to 104,230 as the nation’s workforce reeled from the effects of social distancing meant to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.In Illinois, initial claims leaped to 178,133 last week, up 56% from the 114,000 claims filed for the week ending March 21.Nationally, the unprecedented economic shutdown sent unemployment numbers crashing through another weekly record, with 6.6 million people filing for jobless benefits. The week before, 3.3 million people had filed for unemployment, already a giant increase from what had been a humming job market. A year before, just around 211,000 people had filed for unemployment, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.In Missouri, weekly claims had been running between 3,000 and 5,000 for much of the year before shutdowns and stay-home orders prompted employers to begin shedding workers as the nation hunkers down for another month or more to fight the virus. The state’s claims shot up to 42,200 the week of March 21, and rose 146% last week, as stay-at-home orders in the state’s largest metro areas took affect, according to numbers released by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Thursday.And though staggering, the numbers may only be a piece of the story. Unemployment offices have been swamped by the flood of workers applying at once.The Missouri Division of Employment Security said Thursday that it has hired temporary workers, using workers from other state labor department divisions and is paying overtime so staff can process the increased workload. Division of Employment Security Director Chris Slinkard encouraged people to file claims online at .”Our staff is taking an unprecedented number of phone calls, but many calls are related to questions and new law changes and not the filing of a claim,” Slinkard said in a statement. “This consumes precious staff time and blocks assistance to those who need to file a claim, but do not have access to the internet.”The Illinois Department of Employment Security and is closing online filing between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. for processing.The massive relief package Congress and President Donald Trump approved last week will add $600 a week onto each state’s unemployment payouts through July 31. Missouri has one of the least generous unemployment programs in the country, covering only 20 weeks of benefits, one of only nine states that reduced the coverage from what most states offer — 26 weeks — after the Great Recession. Moreover, Missouri’s maximum benefit is $320 per week for many workers, and even less for anyone who makes under $32,000 a year.However, the federal program has not been implemented yet in the states, and Missouri and Illinois say they are awaiting federal guidance before the $600 benefit can be added.”Trying to do this before we receive the federal guidance could cost the state and the employers millions of dollars,” Slinkard said. “We expect this guidance very soon, and, like thousands of Missourians, we’re anxiously awaiting word from our federal partners so that we can provide the new benefits as quickly as possible.”Illinois said the extra $600 .Also up in the air are contract and self-employed workers such as those who drive for ride-sharing companies. Those people weren’t previously eligible for unemployment insurance because they and companies such as Uber and Lyft don’t pay unemployment insurance taxes into the system. The federal legislation called for including those kinds of gig workers in unemployment insurance because millions of Americans rely on those jobs.Illinois “will provide information about how to apply for this benefit as soon as it is finalized,” the state’s unemployment office said in a March 31 memo. “Please do not apply at this time.”Daily updates on the latest news in the St. Louis business community.Help support our COVID-19 coverageWe're providing access to COVID-19 articles for free.Please help support our work by subscribing or signing up for an account.Already a subscriber? Log in.© Copyright 2020 , 901 N. 10th St. St. Louis, MO&nbsp;| &nbsp;|Powered by from .{{title}}{{summary}}You don't have any notifications.Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.Topics

or×On your next view you will be asked to:×Subscribe today for unlimited access×Subscribe today for unlimited access×You've run out of free articles. Subscribe for just $5 for 5 months to keep readingorYou are the owner of this article.© 2020 Lee EnterprisesMissouri unemployment claims more than double as stay-home orders take holdShare thisJEFFERSON CITY — Missouri unemployment claims last week more than doubled from an already staggering surge, rocketing up to 104,230 as the nation’s workforce reeled from the effects of social distancing meant to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.In...

Missouri unemployment claims more than double as stay-home orders take hold

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