Season sees spike in unemployment claims
This week marks the start of the peak filing period for unemployment insurance in Connecticut, as state officials face a rush of short-term claims.
The state Department of Labor expects to receive about 6,000 to 10,000 new applications each week in December and January, compared with an average of around 2,600 during the rest of the year. The department largely attributes the surge to cold-weather shutdowns, seasonal layoffs and temporary stoppages related to school vacations. Existing weekly claims that were filed before Dec. 1 should not be affected.
“This is an increase that we see every year,” Labor Department spokeswoman Nancy Steffens said. “We’ll try to limit the delays by having a number of staff, who typically have other jobs in the unemploymentinsurance area, help with the processing of claims.”
New claims typically take about two days to process, but they could take up to five days during the busy season, Steffens said. The week before Christmas and the two weeks after are likely to see the most activity.
Landscapers, retail workers and school bus drivers and cafeteria staff comprise some of the seasonal applicants.
Initial claims must be filed online, at filectui.com.
Applicants also need an active email account. Subsequent weekly claims can be filed online or by phone. Unemployment insurance runs up to 26 weeks.
An updated checking or savings account to set up a direct-deposit payment is also requested. Payments would otherwise default to a debit card. Paper checks are no longer issued.
Unemployment benefit specialists at the American Job Centers in Bridgeport, Stamford and Derby will be available to help applicants. Meetings with specialists are solely on a walk-in basis.
“We try to help people as quickly as we can,” Steffens said. “But with many people coming into the offices, it does get busy. There can be a wait time to see a benefits specialist.”
Connecticut’s October unemployment rate of 4.2 percent remained unchanged from September as the state gained 1,500 jobs. The national unemployment rate remained at 3.7 percent. The state’s November jobs numbers will be released Dec. 13.