Why is unemployment not working as well as it should be? Likely because it’s using some systems developed in the 1970s.
The social safety net intended to save those who are now without work, and income, is run on outdated computers and uses some systems that date back nearly 50 years.
City and State reports that New York put out a request to revamp its unemployment website three years ago. But that didn’t happen. The state ultimately teamed up with Google after the pandemic wreaked havoc on the unemployment system, without hundreds of thousands filing claims in a matter of days.
The report indicates that to this point, more than a million people have applied, with an unknown number of filers having actually made it through the process.
The Department of Labor’s Twitter account is getting hit with hundreds of negative and angry replies per day from frustrated users who still can’t get through the unemployment system.
A recent Pew Study found that 71% of Americans who filed for unemployment in March still hadn’t received benefits as of late-April, City and State reported.
While New York State says its working on the issues, it doesn’t appear as though they will be going away anytime soon. At least not until the technology issues are sorted out.
– Read more of the report from City & State
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