It probably comes as no surprise that unemployment claims in Ohio have skyrocketed this week as businesses continue to temporarily close and lay off workers to try to slow the spread of coronavirus.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says 111,055 Ohioans applied for unemployment from Sunday through Wednesday of this week. Compare that to the same period last week when 3,895 applied for jobless benefits.
Many employees who are being laid off right now wouldn’t have qualified for unemployment under previous rules, but the program has been changed in recent days to make anyone who is laid off as a direct result of COVID-19 immediately eligible for benefits.
Anyone needing to file can do it online at unemployment.ohio.gov. Businesses throughout the state are continuing to temporarily close their doors, often under state order, so the number of Ohioans filing for unemployment is expected to climb.
