unemployment
Powell signals higher interest rates. Here’s why Friday’s jobs report will affect Fed’s decision.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said this week that interest rate increases could be higher and come faster if Friday’s unemployment data shows the nation’s labor market isn’t cooling off. Stock indexes fell after his comments. That’s been a familiar pattern over the past year as the federal bank has tried to combat inflation. A […]
Ohio state Sen. Fedor offers bill extending unemployment to lower wage workers
State Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, has introduced legislation to lower the income thresholds for claiming unemployment. The shift would make it easier for part-time and underemployed workers to receive benefits if they lose their jobs. Under current law, workers must make almost $6,000 and be employed for at least 20 weeks out of the year […]
Org leaders: Health, food security should be top priority in ARPA spending
With a new load of American Rescue Plan funding headed to the state in the new year, heads of advocacy groups and food assistance groups in the state are hoping the state will be more transparent as they choose spending priorities. “We really know the legislative intent from Congress for these dollars was to make […]
The ‘great resignation’ is a trend that began before the pandemic
By Ian O. Williamson, University of California, Irvine Finding good employees has always been a challenge – but these days it’s harder than ever. And it is unlikely to improve anytime soon. The so-called quit rate – the share of workers who voluntarily leave their jobs – hit a new record of 3% in September […]
Dems to introduce cybersecurity legislation for unemployment system
Democratic legislators say the first step in solving cybersecurity issues in the state unemployment system is admitting there’s a problem. State Reps. Jeffrey Crossman, D-Parma, and Lisa Sobecki, D-Toledo, say the state’s unemployment system “has compromised personal information and resulted in untold thousands of dollars stolen from deserving recipients” and that the Ohio Department of […]
Study: COVID-19 reversed progress for Ohio women, more than 1 million workers displaced
A new study from an Ohio think tank shows disproportionate lay offs for low-paid workers, gender and race inequity, and “job destruction” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report released this week by Policy Matters Ohio, titled the “State of Working Ohio 2021,” showed that inconsistencies in assistance from federal and state administrations […]
Pandemic hardship is about to get a lot worse for millions of out-of-work Americans
By Jeffrey Kucik, University of Arizona and Don Leonard, The Ohio State University Millions of unemployed Americans lost pandemic-related jobless benefits as of Labor Day – just as surging cases of coronavirus slow the pace of hiring. In all, an estimated 8.8 million people stopped receiving unemployment insurance beginning on Sept. 6, 2021. Millions more […]
States that borrowed from feds to cover unemployment comp checks are about to owe interest
WASHINGTON — Ten states that struggled to pay the mounting costs of rising unemployment compensation claims during the COVID-19 pandemic will face yet another challenge starting Monday: interest accruing on federal loans they relied on to cover payments to the unemployed. Collectively, those states — which include Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania — owe the federal […]
Ohio Supreme Court sides with DeWine in unemployment case
Days before the benefits are set to expire, the Ohio Supreme Court sided with Gov. Mike DeWine in a case questioning his power over unemployment payments, declining a motion for a quicker decision. Ohio residents Shawnee Huff, Candy Bowling and David Willis sued the DeWine administration after he announced the state would no longer be […]
Ohio to hire 200 customer service workers to tackle unemployment claims
The Ohio Controlling Board on Monday approved more than $11 million so the state Department of Jobs and Family Services can contract with a D.C. company for customer service representatives. The company, Conduent State & Local Solutions, Inc., would provide “up to 200 tier 1 agents to answer calls from claimants on their unemployment insurance […]
Ohio has recovered $150 million in fraudulent unemployment claims
The director of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services recently announced the department is working with state and federal law enforcement to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment claims and billions more in overpayments that are not fraudulent in nature. From the beginning of the pandemic through May 2021, Ohio […]
Advocates: Pandemic, unemployment impact women on many levels
The loss of $300 in extra unemployment assistance has hampered recovery from the pandemic for many Ohioans, including women, advocates say. Leah Haenszel was a respiratory therapist before COVID caused her to leave her job to take care of her three kids, something she couldn’t afford to do, even with a full-time job. “The excessive […]