Unemployment surge continues in Orleans, NYS
In Orleans, 20% of workforce has filed for unemployment in past 2 months
The number of people filing unemployment claims in Orleans County and New York State isn’t slowing down.
New York State had 203,928 people file unemployment claims last week, which was up from 197,607 the week of May 2. The 203,928 compares to 12,832 during the same week in 2019.
State-wide there have now been 2,041,694 unemployment claims the past two months.
Orleans County had 285 people file unemployment claims last week, the same as the week of May 2. That brings the total unemployment claims in the county to 3,331 in the past eight weeks, since the state shut down many businesses or significantly curtailed their activities.
Orleans County has a workforce of about 17,000 people. The 3,331 unemployment claims represent about 20 percent of the workforce.
Here are the weekly unemployment claims the past eight weeks in the GLOW counties and statewide:
- Genesee: 450 (May 9), 482 (May 2), 589 (April 25), 421 (April 18), 931 (April 11), 886 (April 4), 1,308 (March 28), 268 (March 21)
- Livingston: 412 (May 9), 355 (May 2), 490 (April 25), 403 (April 18), 918 (April 11), 996 (April 4), 1,338 (March 28), 227 (March 21)
- Orleans: 285 (May 9), 285 (May 2), 326 (April 25), 297 (April 18), 581 (April 11), 595 (April 4), 824 (March 28), 138 (March 21)
- Wyoming: 228 (May 9), 234 (May 2), 326 (April 25), 266 (April 18), 601 (April 11), 603 (April 4), 837 (March 28), 155 (March 21)
- Statewide: 203,928 (May 9), 197,607 (May 2), 222,040 (April 25), 207,172 (April 18), 399,015 (April 11), 347,573 (April 4), 369,025 (March 28), 80,753 (March 21)
The NYS Department of Labor announced that in just over a month, more than 330,000 New Yorkers have been approved for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program, which provides unemployment benefits to individuals who do not qualify for traditional unemployment insurance.
In total, the Department of Labor has now paid $7.4 billion in unemployment benefits to New Yorkers since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March — three-and-a-half times the total paid in benefits last year.
“Every state is facing a historic surge in unemployment claims and New York is no different, but we have moved faster and more aggressively than others to get beneficiaries their money, and in just over two months have paid out over three-and-a-half years’ worth of benefits,” NYS Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said. “We know New Yorkers are struggling, and we know they need support now, and we are working day and night to get money into more New Yorkers’ hands faster — including through these emergency measures — and we will continue to provide the support people need to help them weather this unprecedented crisis.”
