COLUMBUS – The number of Ohioans thrown out of work since the coronavirus forced businesses across the nation to close their doors is now nearly 1 million.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services announced Thursday that it reported 109,369 initial jobless claims to the U.S. Dept. of Labor for the week that ended April 18, bringing the total number of first-time claims filed in Ohio over the last five weeks to 964,566.
Individuals are urged to file claims online, if possible. Those without internet access can call 1-877-644-6562 (OHIO-JOB) from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. weekdays; 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturdays, and 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Sundays
Although that total is more than the combined total of unemployment claims for the last two years combined, the number of first-time claims declined for the second week in a row.
The flood of newly-unemployed workers has overloaded the state’s online filing system despite numerous technical upgrades, for the department to adopt a system for repeat filers who are asked to file their continuing claims on days of the week corresponding to the first letter of their last names.
Since the middle of March, the state has paid out more than $926 million in unemployment compensation to more than 376,000 people.
More than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as job cuts escalated across an economy that remains all but shut down, the government said Thursday.
Roughly 26 million people have now filed for jobless aid since the coronavirus outbreak began forcing millions of employers to close.