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The number of Pennsylvanians filing unemployment claims continues to climb.

On Monday, Pennsylvania Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said that the state had surpassed 1.5 million unemployment claims filed since March 15, when the state rolled out coronavirus mitigation efforts.

By contrast, in the three weeks prior to March 13, the state logged 40,000 new unemployment claims.

The state also logged 976 new workers compensation claims. Oleksiak said that about 302 of those appeared to be related to workers in the health care, first responder or law enforcement sectors – and all are related to COVID-19.

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To mitigate the spread of coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this month recommended that all Pennsylvanians wear a mask any time they leave their homes.

A new order issued Wednesday makes that mandatory for anyone working or shopping at grocery stores and pharmacies. The order zeroes in on the safety of workers and customers at essential businesses.

The order issued by Wolf and Dr. Rachel Levine, Secretary of the Department of Health, goes into effect Sunday amid escalating numbers of coronavirus cases.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 1,245 new coronavirus cases, raising the statewide total to 27,735. At least 707 people have died due to the virus, including 60 new deaths reported today,

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HARRISBURG — State Department of Labor officials said the “sheer volume” of more than 1 million first-time jobless has led to delays of up to three weeks for some people to get the personal identification numbers that allow them to submit their weekly claims for unemployment benefits.

Secretary of Labor and Industry Jerry Oleksiak said that the state has received 1.3 million jobless claims since Gov. Tom Wolf shut down non-essential businesses in March.

Susan Dickinson, director of unemployment policy for the Department of Labor and Industry said then when people have had questions about their claims, it’s been taking the department 15 days to respond to emails, even though that’s the method the agency has been advising people to use to get questions answered.

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Oleksiak said he understands that people awaiting help are getting angered by the delays.

“We want to get benefits to them as quickly as we can,” he said. “We are frustrated too.”

Are you looking for a job?

The state has shut down many businesses and closed the doors to the public for many of them due to the coronavirus pandemic but it has also allowed a myriad of “life-sustaining’ businesses to stay open. And many of those businesses are hiring and the state is planning to connect those employers with people looking for jobs.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has set up a new online COVID-19 job portal.

People seeking employment can visit www.PAcareerlink.pa.gov and select the green “PA COVID-19 Jobs – Hiring Immediately” job portal banner to see the job openings. Perspective employees can select the “Apply Now” button for a listed position, which will lead to the employer’s website or email.

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Governor Tom Wolf announced today the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) is implementing new federal unemployment compensation benefits provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The COVID-19 relief package temporarily provides an additional $600 per week, makes self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers eligible for benefits and extends unemployment compensation (UC) benefits for an additional 13 weeks.

The federal benefits are in addition to Pennsylvania’s regular unemployment benefit, which is about half of a person’s full-time weekly income up to $572 per week for 26 weeks.

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Gov. Tom Wolf this week asked Washington to ease restrictions on federal food assistance programs, to help meet the needs of a growing number of families economically affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The approval has been granted.

Pennsylvania has gotten the go-ahead to proceed with a Disaster Household Distribution program, which will allow state officials to ensure that families facing layoffs as a result of the coronavirus are able to eat and also to feed their children.

“Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians have applied for unemployment compensation after just two weeks of COVID-19 mitigation efforts. I’m incredibly grateful for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s acknowledgement of our need to feed Pennsylvania,” Wolf said. “This waiver lifts a weight off the shoulders of our food banks and families across the commonwealth.”

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Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Human Services (DHS) today released guidanceOpens In A New Window for its employment and training (E&T) programs in coordination with Governor Wolf’s mitigation guidance regarding COVID-19. Because closure of non-essential services will affect program operations, people participating in employment and training programs to meet a work participation requirement should participate remotely or be excused for the period that E&T programs are unable to operate.

“The health and safety of our clients is our number one priority, so to that end we are encouraging people who feel ill, including people who are in our employment and training programs, to stay home. We will work with you to determine how to meet your E&T requirements and needs,” said Secretary Teresa Miller. “No one should fear losing their benefits due to circumstances beyond their control, and we are working with our E&T providers to excuse program participants during this period.”

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WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of up to $100 million for Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) to help address the workforce-related impacts of the public health emergency related to COVID-19, also known as novel coronavirus.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a nationwide public health emergency as a result of confirmed cases of the coronavirus. This federal declaration enables the Secretary of Labor to award Disaster Recovery DWGs to help address the workforce-related impacts of this public health emergency (WIOA Act Section 170(a)(1)(B)).

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Harrisburg, PA – Workers in Pennsylvania who are impacted by COVID-19 may be eligible for Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation benefits, Secretary of Labor & Industry (L&I) Jerry Oleksiak announced today.  

Unemployment compensation claims should be submitted online for faster processing. 

“As Pennsylvania and the nation implement mitigation efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, it is important to relieve some of the financial pressures our workers are facing so they can focus on remaining healthy and safe,” said Secretary Oleksiak. “The best option is for employers to offer their employees paid time off. If leave is not available and your job has been impacted by this new virus, you may be eligible for benefits either through unemployment or workers’ compensation. If you work in a job or industry that likely will be affected, prepare now by knowing what you need and how to file so your application can be processed quickly.” 

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