Does Employment Security do anything about people who go on and off unemployment repeatedly?
A. Many people think that a lot of claimants file for unemployment year after year, but the data do not support this notion. According to a study of unemployment claimants from January 2002 through June 2006: • 89 percent filed only one or two claims during that time • Out of $4.3 billion paid out in claims, about 17 percent went to people who filed three or more claims • Repeat claimants (three or more claims) collected an average of 53 percent to 56 percent of the total benefits available to them.
A. A common mispreception is that many individuals file for unemployment year after year. But the data do not support this notion. According to a study of unemployment claimants from January 2002 through June 2006: • 89 percent filed only one or two claims during that time. • Out of $4.3 billion paid out in claims, about 17 percent went to people who filed three or more claims. • Repeat. claimants (three or more claims) collected an average of 53 percent to 56 percent of the total benefits available to them.
