Unemployment filings remain sky high in New Mexico

Apr. 4--Calls go unanswered, and some are still befuddled by the website.

With claims still at astronomic levels, those filing for unemployment in New Mexico complain they are spending hours trying to get through on the phone to the state Department of Workforce Solutions' Unemployment Insurance Operations Center.

The agency said it has dedicated 115 people to the call center with plans to add another 61, according to a news release. It also asked people to call on a specific day based on the last number of their Social Security number, in hopes of reducing wait times.

"We're still hiring people," Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley said Friday. "We had the lowest call volume today in a couple weeks. We are thankful people are calling on the day on the list."

McCamley said website issues largely revolve around passwords, with people either failing to correctly enter a temporary password issued or forgetting passwords to existing accounts.

"We have a lot of people who had accounts in the past and don't remember the passwords," McCamley said. "We feel like we're doing the best we can. We understand people's frustration, and we understand people are going through some tough times."

Those tough times are reflected in the numbers: Initial unemployment claims filed this week, from March 27 to Thursday, dropped to 28,344 from the 31,849 filed in the same period the previous week, according to unofficial figures released Friday by Workforce Solutions.

Normal for this time of year is about 600 to 900 weekly claims.

For those trying to file claims as the COVID-19 crisis tightens its economic grip, the process remains frustrating. And as the reality of the economic shutdown settles in, others fret for their long-term futures.

One applicant, Noah Pearce, said she struggled to call into the system Monday. She ultimately was approved but on Friday said she wasn't able to certify her weekly benefit for the previous week.

The stress, she said, is immense.

Pearce said she became unemployed March 21 when the Michaels crafts store closed. She had been a full-time department manager for 2 1/2 years.

"Some have spouses working," Pearce said. "Some are living off savings. If I don't get the unemployment figured out, I'm not going to last for a month or two. It could get to the point where I have to borrow from family."

Pearce said she will get her job back after Michaels reopens.

"They said I haven't lost my job," she said. "I still have my benefits."

New Mexico's unemployment figures mirror the rise throughout the country. Unemployment claims in the U.S. from the week ending March 14 to the week ending March 28 exploded in unprecedented fashion from 282,000 to 6.6 million.

The exponential increase in New Mexico largely is a result of a stay-at-home order that shut down businesses not considered "essential" by the state as it tries to minimize the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Tens of thousands of additional unemployment filings will likely come into play, as New Mexico has an estimated 62,000 self-employed workers who now qualify for unemployment benefits through the federal CARES Act. The legislation adds contractors, the self-employed and gig economy workers like Uber and Lyft drivers -- categories not traditionally eligible for unemployment.

Workfoce Solutions is still awaiting federal guidance on adding the self-employed and $600 in additional federal funding for each claimant's weekly check, McCamley said Friday.

"We can't move forward until we have those rules [from the U.S. Department of Labor]," McCamley said. "Once we get those rules, it will take us a couple weeks to update our systems."

Workforce Solutions reported 44,000 weekly certifications of people receiving unemployment benefits or awaiting determination if they qualify for benefits. The certification number more than doubled from the 16,663 the previous week and about 9,600 the week before that.

Gretel Underwood and Neal Frank, both small-business owners, said they are trying to adjust to a reality that would include them as unemployed.

"I never would have dreamed I could apply for unemployment," said Underwood, who owns Gretel Underwood Handweaving, which she closed about three weeks ago. "I never applied for unemployment. I don't know what the rules of the game are."

Underwood, who lives in Eldorado, said she worries about her financial future.

"We get Social Security, but that doesn't cut it," Underwood said. "I need unemployment or borrow money. I don't have a pension. I feel very nervous about the whole situation. I do feel I'm not alone. I know a lot of people self-employed. We have homes. We have mortgages."

Frank has owned Santa Fe Pens for 25 years. He had to close his shop at DeVargas Center when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered all malls shut.

"This month, next month we can handle lease payments," Frank said. "Beyond that, it's going to get interesting. If this thing stretches out, how do we survive?"

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