Another record-breaking number of Kentuckians filed for unemployment last week

Another record-breaking number of Kentuckians filed for unemployment insurance last week, putting the total number of reported initial claims at 279,307 since temporary coronavirus business closures went into effect.

New data from the U.S. Department of Labor show that 117,135 Kentuckians made their initial claims for unemployment during the week ending April 4, an increase of 3,986 claims from the prior week’s revised number.

If current trends continue, by the end of next week, roughly the entire population of Lexington will have filed for unemployment since mid-March.

While the number of Kentuckians filing for unemployment continued to rise, the nation saw its first decline in initial claims since the widespread closures of non-essential businesses across the country.

The U.S. saw about 6.6 million new claims last week, a decrease of 261,000 from last week’s revised number.

The sudden flood of claims has left many Kentuckians frustrated with the filing system for unemployment insurance, which proved to be unprepared for the crisis.

Numerous residents who were forced out of their jobs as a result of Gov. Andy Beshear’s orders have struggled to file their claims through the state’s phone line or website. Many others have been unable to check the status of their claims.

Others received “false negative” letters, saying they had been denied unemployment insurance when, in fact, they were approved.

Josh Benton, deputy secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, said earlier this week that the number of staff taking calls from those seeking unemployment has increased from 12 before the COVID-19 pandemic to between 1,000 and 1,200 this week.

If that isn’t enough, Benton assured residents that his cabinet will add more workers.

Beshear has repeatedly apologized for the delays during his daily 5 p.m. press conferences, and promised Kentuckians that he is working to correct any errors.

He has implemented schedules that direct residents to only apply for unemployment on certain days of the week, based on the first letter of their last names.

“Keep letting us know when there are issues,” Beshear said earlier this week. “It’s our job to fix them.”

People can file for unemployment insurance online at https://kcc.ky.gov/career or by calling 502-875-0442.

This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 9:41 AM.