Since March, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development has struggled under the weight of a record amount of unemployment claims. The Department’s antiquated technology buckled under the sudden influx of claims, and the system rapidly backed up. Six months into the quagmire, Governor Tony Evers fired the Department’s Secretary — Caleb Frostman. In his place, […]
Wisconsin DWD continues to wrestle with unemployment backlog
On Tuesday, Wisconsin’s Assembly Republicans — led by Speaker Robin Vos — introduced a one hundred million dollar coronavirus relief package. One of the central pillars of the package seeks to reduce the state’s Unemployment Insurance backlog — an issue the state’s Department of Workforce Development has spent months trying to solve. For more on […]
Unemployment During the Pandemic
An estimated 50 million Americans have filed unemployment claims since the start of the pandemic. That’s roughly one in five workers collecting unemployment benefits and navigating a labyrinthine system to do so. What does this all mean for American workers, especially now that additional federal benefits have expired? Today, we discuss this topic in-depth with […]
Seeking Answers: Madison Residents Face Uncertainty in Unemployment
Last week, nearly 70,000 Wisconsinites applied for unemployment insurance as many businesses have begun to close in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. Last year, just over 5,200 residents applied for unemployment over the same week. And just yesterday, 10,872 people filed for unemployment in Wisconsin, nearly 10,000 more than did on that date […]
State, Local Governments Seek to Aid Small Businesses, Unemployed Work...
At 5 p.m. yesterday, all restaurants and bars in Wisconsin closed per a mandate from Governor Tony Evers. In order to offset the economic losses of that order, Governor Evers announced that the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) would work with Wisconsin Emergency Management and the U.S. Small Business Administration to “unlock federal relief funds” […]