State of Ohio unemployment homepage | Photo by Soham Parikh | The Wright State Guardian
Since a national emergency has been declared in the United States, unemployment rates have skyrocketed.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the running total for the number of Americans who have filed initial jobless claims comes to around 22 million, roughly 13.5 percent of the labor force, since March 14.
In 1933, the unemployment rate hit an-all time high of 24.9 percent during the Great Depression.
Given the large percentage of people who have lost their jobs, the distribution of unemployment is a slow process that includes the denial of all self-employed workers before they can be approved.
Wright State marketing student Emily Ortman, who works at the Fairfield Commons Mall, filed for unemployment at the end of March and has yet to receive her benefits. “It’s kind of just been a waiting game. I file weekly in hopes of being approved,” she said.
The amount of economic pain the coronavirus has triggered is making it difficult for officials to respond fast enough. With such job loss, families who await the government’s help flood to food banks in search of assistance.
“We must have a working economy and we want to get it back very very quickly, and that’s what’s going to happen. I believe it will boom,” said President Donald Trump during a press conference on April 16.
The recent $1,200 stimulus check is acting as some slight wiggle room for those who are still waiting on unemployment. Most people are using their stimulus checks to buy groceries and pay bills.
The widespread illness is causing businesses to suffer as well. Most businesses are being forced to lay off workers or even close due to lack of income. Those who can afford to stay open are taking a drastic hit in sales profit.
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