Ben Zipperer is an economist with the Economic Policy Institute, and co-author of the new report ‘Unemployment filing failures’
94.1 KPFA
May 1, 2020
For every 10 workers who successfully filed for unemployment benefits, as many as six additional workers either tried to apply but couldn’t get through the system or didn’t try because the process was too difficult, according to Economic Policy Institute research released Tuesday.
Some 21.5 million workers filed for unemployment benefits between March 22 and April 18. The difficulties associated with filing prevented another 7.8 million to 12.2 million workers from filing, the EPI study estimated, based on its analysis of survey data from nearly 25,000 respondents.
Bloomberg
May 1, 2020
Although economists can track layoffs via new unemployment claims, tracking the uninsured in real time is trickier, as each worker can carry insurance for multiple family members, and some are able to shift to other sources of coverage. An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute estimated that 9.2 million workers were at risk of losing their health insurance coverage.
Kaiser Health News
May 1, 2020
The Labor Department doesn’t release jobless claims by industry. So, building on the work of economist Ben Zipperer and his colleagues at the Economic Policy Institute, we analyzed industry-specific new unemployment-benefit claims from 14 states that publish them. (For a full list, see the charts below.)
The Washington Post
May 1, 2020
According to a survey by the Economic Policy Institute, up to 12 million more people have lost jobs but still haven’t filed a claim for benefits, either because they couldn’t get through their state’s overwhelmed system or they didn’t try yet.
“These findings imply the official count of unemployment insurance claims likely drastically understates the extent of employment reductions,” wrote Ben Zipperer and Elise Gould, economists at EPI.
Boston Herald
May 1, 2020
Still, the job losses may be far worse than government figures indicate. And that might dictate how this downturn, unique and breathtaking in its severity, is tackled. A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that roughly 50 percent more people than counted as filing claims in a recent four-week period may have qualified for benefits but were stymied in applying or didn’t even try because they found the process too formidable.
Hunt Scanlon Media
May 1, 2020
A key reason for that emerges from a survey by the Economic Policy Institute. It found that up to 12 million more people have lost jobs but haven’t filed a claim for benefits, either because they couldn’t get through their state’s overwhelmed system or they didn’t try, perhaps because it was too difficult.
Tribune Chronicle
May 1, 2020
Another 3.8 million Americans officially joined Atwood in the unemployment line last week, for a total of 30 million people who’ve lost their jobs since March. And that 30 million unemployed total could actually be even higher, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The center-left think tank reports that up to 12 million people were unable to file a claim on their state’s unemployment system between mid-March and mid-April.
CBS News
May 1, 2020
The massive influx of new claimants overwhelmed the system in many states, leaving people unable to file for benefits and struggling to pay their bills. According to The Hill, the Economic Policy Institute estimates that as many as 12 million people have been unable to file claims and are not counted in the official numbers from the Department of Labor.
91 County KCJB
May 1, 2020
More than 30 million people have reportedly filed for unemployment in the last six weeks. A survey from the Economic Policy Institute estimates that figure is far lower than the true number of Americans out of work: Nearly 14 million additional people could have filed if unemployment processes were easier.
CNET
May 1, 2020