unemployment

A special task force is investigating claims and freezing accounts to determine who legitimately qualifies for the relief money. About $20 billion in unemployment money was stolen by criminals.

Oregon's unemployment rate has stopped falling and jobs have recovered to pre-pandemic numbers. And federally-funded temporary employees are leaving the employment department.

California’s unemployment system is too focused on rooting out fraud and minimizing business costs than providing people with timely benefits, according to a new report from the state.

The report explores why many jobless Oregonians waited weeks or months to receive unemployment benefits. Auditors recommend an ombuds office to help claimants navigate the system.

Oregon saw 8,700 new jobs added in June, following gains averaging 6,200 jobs in the prior seven months. The state had over 106,000 available jobs in the month.

Oregon’s unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in March. That’s down from 4% in February.

California has almost $20 billion of debt from the surge in unemployment claims during the pandemic, more than any other state. One reason is California’s higher unemployment rate; another is that employer taxes haven’t kept up with increasing benefits. Now, employers will see an automatic tax increase to start paying off the debt, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed spending $3 billion in state funds to reduce the debt.

The state's Employment Development Department says it suspects 98% of the 27,000 medical providers associated with disability claims are fraudulent.

California is asking some 1.4 million unemployment recipients to prove their eligibility months after receiving aid as part of a fraud recovery campaign. But some people say they’re caught in the Employment Development Department’s dragnet because they don’t have the documents to be cleared. Now, some risk having to pay back more than $30,000 — or face collection.

California is requiring unemployment recipients to retroactively prove their work history – but experts say low-income recipients could be forced to repay money they don’t have. Some even say ineligible recipients should get a pass.

California has the highest unemployment rate in the country. Several factors are contributing, including the state’s slow-to-rebound leisure and hospitality sectors. But the state has a lot of job openings, and high quit rates suggest workers are optimistic they can find better positions.

California’s official unemployment rate is 7.5%. But a newer method of measuring unemployment reveals a far larger portion of the state is struggling to find full-time employment that pays enough to cover the cost of living.