Shortly after the U.S. Department of Labor released record-breaking unemployment claims statistics Thursday amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order to help the unemployed in Georgia.
Kemp signed an executive order that allows Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Mark Butler to issue two new emergency rules related to unemployment benefits.
The first rule extends the amount of time a claimant can receive benefits to 26 weeks from 14 weeks. The second rule exempts the first $300 of wages earned in a week from counting against eligible unemployment benefits paid.
“As we work together as a state to combat COVID-19, Commissioner Butler and I are taking steps to ensure Georgia’s workforce is supported during this challenging time,” Kemp said in a news release.
Initial unemployment claims in Georgia for the week ending March 21 were 11,746, up 6,301 claims – or 115 percent – from the 5,445 claims filed the previous week, according to USDOL data.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment claims in the U.S. for the week were a record 3.3 million – up 3 million from the previous week. The total represents the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims ever. The previous high was 695,000 in October 1982.
GDOL said it anticipates substantially higher claims in the coming weeks and it already is seeing a higher number of claims than were filed during the 2008-2009 recession.
“We understand Georgia businesses and workers are anxious during the COVID-19 public health crisis about how to take care of themselves, their families, and their businesses,” Butler said in a news release. “We are making unprecedented modifications to policies to help all Georgians survive this economic hardship and get us all back to work.”
