GA Unemployment Claims Hit Record High, How To File: Coronavirus

GEORGIA — The number of initial unemployment claims has reached an all-time high in Georgia, according to State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. March 2020 labor statistics released Thursday also revealed that the over-the-month increase for the unemployment rate was the largest on record for Georgia.

“We are reaching unprecedented claim levels of almost 1 million Georgians filing for unemployment,” Butler said. “That is one in every 10 people who are turning to the GDOL for unemployment assistance. This is a massive undertaking, but one that I know we are capable of achieving.”

Nationwide, roughly 22 million have sought jobless benefits in the past month — easily the worst stretch of U.S. job losses on record. All told, roughly nearly 12 million people are now receiving unemployment checks, roughly matching the peak reached in January 2010, shortly after the Great Recession officially ended.

The unemployment rate in Georgia increased by 1.1 percentage points in March, to reach 4.2 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.7 percent.

March showed a decrease of 78,000 employed Georgia residents over the month, bringing the total to 4.9 million, the largest over the month drop since February 2010. This number has increased by 18,500 over the year.

Georgia’s labor force was down by 22,000 to reach a total of 5.1 million, the largest over-the-month drop since March 2010 and the lowest labor force total since September 2019. This total was up 47,000 from this time last year in Georgia.

Jobs in Georgia were down by 7,000 over the month. However, they were up 42,800 over the year, reaching a total of 4.6 million.

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Unemployment claims in Georgia showed an increase of 290,000 claims or 1,292 percent in March and were up by 294,000 claims or 1,567 percent from March 2019. The monthly total was higher than the annual total for each of the previous two years, 292,000 in 2019, and 310,000 in 2018.

All businesses deemed nonessential have been closed in nearly every state as the economy has virtually shut down. Deep job losses have been inflicted across nearly every industry. Some economists say the unemployment rate could reach as high as 20 percent in April, which would be the highest rate since the Great Depression of the 1930s. By comparison, unemployment never topped 10 percent during the Great Recession.

The following sectors saw the highest increase in initial claims for unemployment over the month:

• Accommodation and Food Services – 132,564
• Health Care and Social Assistance– 37,621
• Trade – 23,074

Employ Georgia posted nearly 1 million statewide job listings during the month of March.

Visit online for more information, or to view the latest job listings in Georgia.

How To Apply For Unemployment

The Georgia Department of Labor is temporarily suspending all in-person requirements for services. Residents are asked to conduct GDOL-related business online to protect everyone from potential exposure to COVID-19. Find instructions on the department's website.

Filing an Unemployment Claim Online

You will need your:
• Social Security Number
• Georgia Driver's License, if applicable
• Bank's routing number and your account number (if you want to receive your benefit payments via direct deposit)
• Work history information for the last 18 months

Follow these steps:
1. Select the link labeled Apply for Unemployment Benefits on the GDOL Home page.
2. Answer the questions completely.
3. Download and read the Claimant Handbook. Information in this handbook provides detailed instructions regarding the unemployment insurance program and "Next Steps" to follow after submitting your claim.
4. Record your Confirmation Number. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address provided when completing the claim application. (If you do not receive a confirmation number, the application was not successfully completed. It remains on the system for 24 hours. Log in again and make sure you select FINISH to receive a confirmation number.)

After you file, your next steps are to:
1. Request your weekly benefit payment every week, starting the first Sunday after filing your claim by selecting Claim Weekly UI Benefits Payments on the GDOL Home page or calling the Interactive Voice Response System at 1.866.598.4164
2. Monitor your voicemail and email closely for messages from the GDOL.
3. Respond immediately to all requests for additional information.
4. GDOL will contact you if it is necessary for you to complete an Applicant Status Affidavit (DOL-1054A). You will not have to go to a career center.
a. Download and complete the affidavit in its entirety.
b. Mail the affidavit and an enlarged, legible copy of your valid government-issued picture identification to the career center you selected on your claim. Select Find a Career Center or use the address indicated in the email request.
If you have claimed a week of benefits and have not received your written determination of eligibility, Claims Examiner's Determination within 21 days of the filed date, you may call UI Customer Service immediately at 404.232.3001 (in Metro Atlanta) or 1.877.709.8185 (in all other areas).

President Trump said he plans to issue fresh guidelines Thursday for opening the country to stem the economic tumble while threatening to shut down the entire U.S. Congress if it fails to approve his nominees.

Following another combative news conference on Wednesday, the newest unemployment numbers were released on Thursday, and they weren't pretty.

A record 22 million Americans have filed jobless claims in the past month, with the number swelling by 5.2 million in the past week as white-collar professionals joined the ranks of low-wage service workers who took the brunt of the early layoffs and furloughs.

"This crisis combines the scale of a national economic downturn with the pace of a natural disaster," said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor. "And that's really unprecedented in American economic history."

The new jobless report is sure to add urgency to Trump's call to get the country up and running. He said Thursday the number of cases of the virus have leveled to the point that the country has to prepare to get back to work, though in many areas hospitalizations and deaths have yet to peak.

"These encouraging developments have put us in a very strong position to finalize guidelines for states on reopening the country, which we'll be announcing. We're going to be talking about that tomorrow, we'll have a news conference tomorrow sometime during the afternoon," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "We're going to be announcing guidelines and we'll be talking about various states and it's very exciting."

See more:

• Record 22 Million Have Sought Jobless Aid Since Crisis Began
• GA Residents: How To Check Your Stimulus Payment Status
• More Black People Are Affected By The Coronavirus In GA: Report