There are updates to unemployment you need to know. Change in the world of work is constant, with five generations in the workforce.

The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is attributed to saying, “There is nothing permanent except change.” People change jobs, not always on their terms.

Mergers and acquisitions are happening, and businesses are starting, closing, downsizing, and restructuring. There are COVID issues, and there is The Great Resignation and more. Change in the world of work is constant, especially with five generations currently in the workforce.

VOLUNTARY QUIT & UNEMPLOYMENT

Just because you resign from a job does not mean you cannot collect unemployment if there were “necessitous and compelling” reasons why you quit. You might want to consult with an employment law attorney to discuss your particular situation. Still, you can start reading about unemployment compensation and voluntary quit and Google those bolded words in quotes to learn more.  

With the pandemic, the Pennsylvania unemployment office seems to have been pretty busy and they have made some changes and upgrades to their website and made some changes at their physical offices. 

There is now an online ticketing system for help instead of phones at the unemployment office where you used to speak to a human to help solve your unemployment problem. Tickets may be several weeks out before someone can take care of the issue. 

Federal benefits have expired, and phone numbers and links have changed. Hopefully, the contact info below will help you make the connections you need. The PA CareerLink also made a Youtube video highlighting some new features of the website.

BACK HISTORY OF UNEMPLOYMENT RATES & ALTERNATE CALCULATIONS

In 2010, the Department of Labor Statistics started to calculate the unemployment number using the U3, which is only the people actively looking for a job. If you want to see the ShadowStats figures for unemployment that include all six measures of unemployment, read The Reality of Unemployment, and you will see the September 2021 ShadowStats Alternative Unemployment rate is 25.1%. 

Another alternative unemployment rate calculation is in this article What is the Real Unemployment Rate? As you can see, it depends on how you spin the plates for the rate and which of the six measures are used in the calculations. 

PENNSYLVANIA UNEMPLOYMENT CONTACT INFO AND UPDATES

PA UC CONTACT INFO

Customer Service: 888-313-7284 (M-F 8am to 4pm)

Email: [email protected] (2-4 week response time)

File new UC claims after 9/5/21: https://www.pacareerlink.pa.gov/jponline/ 

UC LiveChat: is currently unavailable

Claim Status: https://www.uc.pa.gov/pages/contact-us-uc-benefits-info.aspx 

PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE

Federal benefits expired 9/5/21: https://www.uc.pa.gov/COVID-19/Federal-Benefits/Pages/default.aspx 

Customer Service Phone: Decommissioned 9/17/21

Email: Decommissioned 9/17/21

OTHER PA UC INFORMATION

Request a new UC Pin (if not received in over 3 weeks): https://expressforms.pa.gov/apps/pa/DLI-UC/Pin-Request

PA Teleclaims (PAT): 888-255-4728 – Automated Services Sun 6am – 8 pm, and M-F 6am – 9 pm

US Bank Reliacard 888-233-5916 (re questions about your debit card)

REMINDER TO ENGAGE IN CAREER MANAGEMENT & UPDATE YOUR RESUME

I hope these tips and this handy contact info list are a help to you! Make sure you make networking a habit while seeking a new job, after you land a job, or engage in self-employment! 

You always need to keep your career documents up to date, so if you did not participate in International Update Your Resume Month in September, here’s your nudge!