An estimated 7 million to 12 million out-of-work Americans are struggling to get access to the unemployment benefits they may be owed, according to a new survey from the Economic Policy Institute.
VICE
April 29, 2020
Five weeks ago, my colleagues Timothy J. Bartik, Brad Hershbein, Bryan A. Stuart, and I made the case for early and substantial aid to these governments, and in recent weeks, so have Brookings’s Matthew Fiedler and Amy Liu, the Economic Policy Institute, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Vox’s Dylan Matthews, and many others.
The Brookings Institution
April 29, 2020
Millions of Americans who lost their jobs over the past couple of weeks have been unable to collect needed benefits, according to a new survey by the Economic Policy Institute.
Between March 22 and April 18, 21.5 million unemployment claims were filed, according to the Department of Labor.
But according to the left-leaning EPI, the official number understates the demand for jobless benefits. EPI estimates that an additional 8 million to 13 million laid-off workers would have filed claims during those five weeks had the unemployment filing system not been overwhelmed. (EPI surveyed 24,607 adults.)
Yahoo Finance
April 29, 2020
Tens of millions of Americans were pushed out of the workforce during the coronavirus lockdown, with U.S. Department of Labor statistics showing that more than 26.5 million people have applied for unemployment benefits since mid-March. A new online survey conducted by the Economic Policy Institute found that between 8.9 million and 13.9 million people were shut out of the unemployment system entirely, citing problems ranging from clogged phone lines to long-outdated state-run computer systems.
Newsweek
April 29, 2020
The online survey was conducted by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Based on its gathered data, the group determined that 3-4 out of 10 workers left unemployed by coronavirus have been unable to register for benefits. It also found that two of out 10 have not tried to apply.
“This study validates the anecdotes and news reports we’re seeing about people having trouble filing for benefits they need and deserve,” said Ben Zipperer, a co-author of the survey with Elise Gould.
EPI used Google surveys to collect results from 24,607 Americans from April 13-24
Government statistics show that around 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March, the approximate time when most businesses began to shut down. Zipperer and Gould explained in their report how the data showed that between 8.9-13.9 million people have been effectively shut out from benefits. Statistics released by the Labor Department also found that only 71% of people who successfully filed for benefits are actually receiving their payments.
EPI also guessed that due to the alarming number of workers unable to file, the official unemployment numbers by much lower than reality.
“These findings imply the official count of unemployment insurance claims likely drastically understates the extent of employment reductions and the need for economic relief during the coronavirus crisis,”
International Business Times
April 29, 2020
In February, women accounted for 50 percent of the payroll and in March they accounted for 58.8 percent of lost jobs, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that provides economic statistics and analysis.
The Miami Herald
April 29, 2020
According to the Economic Policy Institute, productivity has increased 77 percent since 1973, but wages have decreased significantly, and Small Business Trends says 69 percent of small businesses start at home. We often need fulfillment outside of our primary employment, which suggests we should be doing something else on the side (53 percent of women have side gigs). Pair that with the expectation to monetize a hobby and the pressure compounds. There is an enormous burden to do.
Essence
April 29, 2020
Emma Garcia, a researcher in education policy a the Economic Policy Institute, agrees that this is an opportunity for the a decade-long movement to modify standardized testing in a way that considers so-called “whole-person” assessment,” which includes social and emotional skills, as well as socio-economic contexts.
Rather than assessing student’s outcomes, Garcia says, the focus should be on their effort and learning, regardless of their output. This way, grading becomes primarily a way to collect information on the needs students will have once they are able to go back to school.
Quartz
April 29, 2020
THE UNCOUNTED UNEMPLOYED — “Millions of Americans locked out of unemployment system, survey finds,” by Reuters’ Andy Sullivan: “The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute found in an online poll that for every 10 people who have successfully filed unemployment claims, three or four people have been unable to register and another two people have not tried to apply at a time of acute economic crisis.
“Official U.S. statistics show that 26.5 million people have applied for unemployment benefits since mid-March, wiping out all of the jobs gained during the longest employment boom in U.S. history. EPI’s survey indicates that an additional 8.9 million to 13.9 million people have been shut out of the system, said Ben Zipperer, the study’s lead author.” Reuters
Politico
April 29, 2020
The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D. C.-based think tank, recently published an article headlined “Access to the online learning amid coronavirus is far from universal, and children who are poor suffer from a digital divide. ”
EPI reported the digital divide is based on family income.
Nearly 16% of eighth graders overall, and almost 25% of eighth graders who are poor, do not have a desktop or laptop computer at home on which they can follow their classes, EPI reported.
The Economic Policy Institute also noted that 7 percent of eighth graders who are poor do not have access at home to the Internet or hotspots, which can be expensive and essential to online learning. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students have lower rates of home internet access than their peers who are White and Asian.
Only a fifth of teachers considered themselves proficient in integrating computers into classroom instruction.
“The shares of students with teachers who don’t consider themselves proficient but have received some training in applications and computer use is higher,” EPI reported. “Yet that still leaves nearly 24.1 percent of eighth -graders with teachers who are neither proficient in nor trained in software applications.”
The Charleston Chronicle
April 29, 2020