A survey conducted in mid-April by Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank, shows that for every 10 people who said they successfully filed for unemployment benefits during the previous four weeks, 3-4 people “tried to apply but could not get through the system to make a claim.”
Gainesville Times
May 5, 2020
The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute found that for every 10 people able to successfully file for unemployment, three to four couldn’t get through the system to make a claim, and one to two chose not to because it was too difficult. In total, the study concludes that 9 million to 14 million eligible people were thwarted from accessing benefits by these systemic failures.
The Washington Examiner
May 5, 2020
There are other avenues to protect small businesses and their employees in this time of crisis, and these mechanisms would reach more people and help more communities. For example, as the Economic Policy Institute notes: A paycheck guarantee program would be far simpler to administer and would more effectively stabilize employment and business in this moment.
NC Policy Watch
May 5, 2020
This week, the number of jobless claims increased by 3.84 million, bringing the unemployment tally to a whopping 30.3 million, which experts say is an undercount. “The Economic Policy Institute earlier this week estimated that the current claims level probably undercounts by as much as 12 million those who are eligible for benefits but not getting them due to the inability to file or other roadblocks,” reports CNBC.
The Galesburg Register-Mail
May 5, 2020
In the article “Social Distancing is a Privilege” by Charles M. Blow, Blow makes the point that, despite how the spread of COVID-19 is being portrayed in the news, poor and working-class Americans are violating shelter in place orders out of necessity. He states that the reason for this is being due to inability not an unwillingness to practice social distancing. Citing statistics from 2 major American cities he points out a statistical correlation between deaths from the virus and race. Though it’s addressed in passing Blow asserts an intersection at race and poverty in America. Blow also notes that in an article by the Economic Policy Institute only 9.2% of workers in the lowest quartile can work from home compared to 61.5% of those in the highest quartile. Another important factor in this, he says is not having access to private transportation which, like social distancing, is a luxury. Blow also believes there is a lack of empathy for those who have to work during shelter in place which stem from a greater lack of empathy towards the poor in America.
The Arapahoe Pinnacle
May 5, 2020
The Economic Policy Institute estimates that over 12.7 million workers lost employer-provided health insurance as of April 30, and that number is sure to rise.
The American Prospect
May 5, 2020
“We’ve probably peaked in terms of retirement security — and it’s not great,” Monique Morrisey of the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute tells Englund. “And now it’s all downhill. Unless something changes, we’re going to start seeing much more hardship.”
The Fiscal Times
May 5, 2020
And the people who benefit from 401(k)s most are those who are shielding assets from taxation, said Dan Doonan, head of the National Institute on Retirement Security. Despite limits on contributions, 401(k)s and similar accounts actually increase wealth disparities, the Economic Policy Institute found. “We give the biggest benefit to people who need it the least,” said Monique Morrissey of EPI.
The Washington Post
May 5, 2020
This week, the number of jobless claims increased by 3.84 million, bringing the unemployment tally to a whopping 30.3 million, which experts say is an undercount. “The Economic Policy Institute earlier this week estimated that the current claims level probably undercounts by as much as 12 million those who are eligible for benefits but not getting them due to the inability to file or other roadblocks,” reports CNBC.
The Galesburg Register-Mail
May 5, 2020
In the article “Social Distancing is a Privilege” by Charles M. Blow, Blow makes the point that, despite how the spread of COVID-19 is being portrayed in the news, poor and working-class Americans are violating shelter in place orders out of necessity. He states that the reason for this is being due to inability not an unwillingness to practice social distancing. Citing statistics from 2 major American cities he points out a statistical correlation between deaths from the virus and race. Though it’s addressed in passing Blow asserts an intersection at race and poverty in America. Blow also notes that in an article by the Economic Policy Institute only 9.2% of workers in the lowest quartile can work from home compared to 61.5% of those in the highest quartile. Another important factor in this, he says is not having access to private transportation which, like social distancing, is a luxury. Blow also believes there is a lack of empathy for those who have to work during shelter in place which stem from a greater lack of empathy towards the poor in America.
The Arapahoe Pinnacle
May 5, 2020