COLUMBUS – The number of workers idled by the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio and across the U.S. continues to climb by leaps and bounds toward staggering heights.
Applicants are encouraged to file claims online at the Ohio Dept. of Job & Family Services website.
Those without internet access can call 1-877-644-6562 (OHIO-JOB) from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sundays.
For the week ending April 4, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported to the U.S. Department of Labor that 226,007 Ohioans filed initial jobless claims, the second straight week that more than 200,000 new claims were filed, bringing the number of initial unemployment compensation claims filed in Ohio over the last three weeks to 696,519.
During all of last year, 364,603 initial claims were filed.
With a startling 6.6 million people seeking jobless benefits last week, the United States has reached a grim landmark: Roughly one in 10 workers have lost their jobs in just the past three weeks.
The figures collectively constitute the largest and fastest string of job losses in records dating to 1948. They paint a picture of a job market that is quickly unraveling as businesses have shut down across the country because of the coronavirus outbreak.
More than 20 million American may lose jobs this month.
Over the last three weeks, the state has distributed more than $124 million in unemployment compensation to more than 195,000 workers and continues to struggle to keep up with the demand for services at its website and call center.
“We are hiring more people, working longer hours and adding more technological capacity so that we can serve you as quickly as possible,” director Kimberly Hall said in a message to Ohioans aired during Gov. Mike DeWine’s daily news briefing Wednesday. “For those Ohioans whose jobs have been impacted by this crisis, we understand that you have earned these benefits and our team will not rest until you receive them.”
On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Hall had told him that the agency had caught up on all approved claims and was paying out $15 million a day in benefits.
“Every unemployment claim is a real person with a real family who has real challenges and we are trying to help them,” he said.
The department has extended its call center hours to seven days a week and Hall said, by the end of this week, would have close to 1,000 staff members staff taking calls.
Applicants are encouraged to file their claims online, where computer capacity has been increased over the past few weeks to address overloading issues that caused the site to crash, frustrating those trying to file their claims.
Those without internet access can call 1-877-644-6562 (OHIO-JOB) from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Hall says benefits will be calculated from the date that an applicant lost their jobs so, even in the event of a lengthy delay in filing, no benefits would be lost.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted says employers such as grocery stores are looking for more than 33,000 new workers.