According to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, the statewide unemployment rate reached 11.3% in April, up from 6.3% just a month prior and 5% from the same time period one year ago. By comparison, the national unemployment rate during the same time period reached 14.7%.
This surge in unemployment has been largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused by a novel and highly contagious strain of the coronavirus. Many businesses were forced to temporarily close their doors in March to curb the spread, resulting in massive losses in both revenue and available jobs. Even now, as some businesses have begun to reopen with restrictions being lifted, many others still remain closed—and may remain that way for good. Even some of those that have successfully reopened continue to struggle as people maintain social distancing practices.
Employment in New Mexico has reportedly dropped sharply in all nine major industry sectors, from education to health services. The leisure and hospitality industry was hit especially hard, and the number of people traveling is expected to remain lower than usual for the foreseeable future, even as we enter the summer months.
With so many people losing their jobs at once during this time of economic turmoil, unemployment claims have skyrocketed. Finance website WalletHub estimated that there has been a 374.17% increase in unemployment claims between 2019 and 2020.
Fortunately, the Department of Workforce Solutions has made it far easier to qualify for unemployment benefits in the wake of this crisis. Anyone who is out of work because of COVID-19 is encouraged to visit their website, which has been updated with a section exclusively for coronavirus claims. For more information, you can reach out to the Department of Workforce Solutions directly here.
Michael J. Doyle, Attorney At Law remains open and fully operational during this time. If you have questions about unemployment or would like to file for workers’ compensation benefits related to COVID-19 or another work-related injury or illness, our Albuquerque workers’ compensation lawyer may be able to help. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.