Coronavirus GA: Jobless Claims Up 5,000% Since March

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia doesn't have many superlatives left to describe the magnitude of its coronavirus-related unemployment. The number of jobless Georgians has already blown past the worst year of the Great Recession, the state's labor force has lost 5 million workers and the recent data has shown increases in unemployment filings measured in the thousands of percent compared to last year.

On Thursday, the latest unemployment data didn't shake Georgia from its perch among the states with the most jobless benefits applications, but the update wasn't entirely without positives: For the week ending May 2, Georgia Department of Labor reported 228,352 new jobless claims, down 38,000 from the previous week — the first decrease in jobless claims since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

But even as Georgia moves to reopen its gyms, barber shops, hair salons, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys, the economic effects of two months of mandated studowns has put Georgia in league with the hardest-hit regions in the country — and in some analyses, a league of its own.

For instance: A Wallethub ranking places Georgia in the top slot for the largest increase in unemployment compared to 2019, a nation-leading 4,577.06 percent increase in jobless claims.(Kentucky, in second place, reported a 4031.06 percent increase.) In Wallethub's analysis, Georgia has marked the largest increase in unemployment claims since the start the coronavirus crisis, with about 5,000 percent more jobless benefits being filed.

Georgia also stood out to Yahoo Finance, which singled-out the state in its analysis of the new unemployment data, writing on Thursday, "Georgia in particular saw jobless claims average a nearly 5,000% spike versus the week ending March 14." Florida and Alabama, two other states reporting nation-leading jobless claims, disclosed average surges in the same time period of "only" around 4,000 percent, Yahoo Finance reported.

To date, Georgia's Department of Labor said it has payed out $1.7 billion in combined state and federal jobless benefits in the past seven weeks. Nearly 1.6 million Georgians have applied for unemployment insurance.

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).