The Kansas Department of Labor says jobless claims are well off the numbers reported at this time last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The department reported around 1,700 new claims this past week, down from the nearly 6,000 weekly claims a year earlier. There were actually over 11,000 unemployment claims for the week of July 10, 2020. For the week of July 10, 2021, the number was around 3,100.
Another stat, call volume, indicates gradually lower pressure on staffers. Call volume was around 24,000 for the week ending July 19, down from almost 35,000 for the week ending July 5.
Separately, the Labor Department fielded over 180,000 claims “attempting authentication,” approving around 112,000 with slightly over 100 errors reported. Around 1.1 million bots and fraudulent logins were reportedly stopped over the past 30 days.
This comes as the state has announced it will continue to take part in the extended jobless benefit program from the federal government, meaning $300 weekly payments will continue until at least Sept. 6.
The state has not updated how many residents have seen their benefits halted for not completing their responsibilities in the My Reemployment Program. Residents receiving at least three straight weeks of unemployment benefits will automatically be enrolled in the My Reemployment Program. However, they will then have seven days from receiving a special information email to upload or build a resume at KANSASWORKS.com, complete an online job search as linked in the email and then email the completed form to the Department of Commerce.
