5.2 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits

The financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues with millions more Americans losing their jobs. 5.2 million people filed for unemployment benefits during the week ending April 11, 2020. That brings the total number of jobs lost in four weeks to approximately 22 million.

Many recently laid-off workers say they’ve found it’s a full time job just filing for unemployment.

Brie Roche-Lilliot and her fiancé both lost their jobs right as they were planning their wedding. Brie said, “I received a very formal email from HR saying that all employees were being furloughed for the time being.

When Brie tried to file for unemployment benefits she found the New York website overloaded. She said, “I spent about 3 hours probably trying to apply online, and as many people would said, the system would just time you out if you didn’t get through.”

Even after she filed, Brie was told she had to confirm her application by phone. Brie estimates she’s tried to call the unemployment office about 5-6 hundred times. “It’s just so demoralizing that I would give up for the rest of the day. It just feels like running in a hamster wheel. It feels to be no sign of progress,” she said.

Americans across the country are reporting similar filing problems. Some states are overhauling their websites.

Earlier this month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state was “working with Google to come up with an online mechanism that bypasses any phone certification.” He also said 300 additional staffers have been hired to process claims.

Many states are promising benefits will be retroactive for people who can’t get through.