NC agency triples staff to help handle flood of coronavirus unemployment claims
The state office that handles unemployment insurance said Friday it is tripling its staff as it confronts a deluge of claims related to businesses closing or issuing furloughs over the new coronavirus.
The North Carolina Division of Employment Security said it will have over 1,600 people working to process claims and issue payments by the end of next week, an increase from around 500 before the pandemic.
The division has already added 403 people, including some state employees and private call center agents.
Nearly 637,000 people applied for unemployment between March 15 and April 16, the state said, nearly all of which were related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The state has paid out $358 million to over 211,000 people as of Friday.
The state is beefing up its staff amid complaints from those applying for unemployment about website glitches and long wait times for telephone calls.
It will be the largest staff working on unemployment claims in the state’s history, said Lockhart Taylor, assistant secretary of the division.
“We are prepared to take whatever steps we need to take to deliver the help North Carolinians need during these difficult times,” he said in the release.
In addition to state benefits, which are among the lowest in the nation, the state said those eligible for payments have started to receive the additional $600 per week from the federal government, included in the stimulus package.
By the end of next week, the agency saiid it will have another 600 private call center employees working on claims, as well as 100 people from another state division.
