For some individuals, unemployment insurance for ad usa labor services has been a vital lifeline. When the welfare system had its benefits slashed in 2011 and again in 2013, unemployment insurance became especially important to those who, without it, would have to rely on food stamps and charitable organizations while they looked for work.
When Social Security was created in 1935 it created a vast database of records that have become an important resource for those looking to better understand the role of unemployment compensation.
However, these records are not public data that any individual can freely access. By law they are protected as confidential information because they contain personal information on each individual born or raised in America since 1935.
Here are a few detailed facts:
1. In the decades before unemployment insurance, nearly 90 percent of the working age population had some form of employment. In the Great Depression, during which unemployment claims were filed, only 50 percent received any kind of compensation in 1939. The majority of those who did get an allowance from their employer were young unskilled men with little education.
2. When Roosevelt began his “New Deal” program in 1933 over 100 million Americans received assistance from direct government spending and more than 800,000 Americans got unemployment benefits.
3. The average weekly benefit was $12 in 1935 and it went up to $78 by 1940 .
For more than 85 years, this information has not been available to the general public.
And yet, after the Great Recession hit, unemployment rates for Americans over 65 reached a peak of 10 percent. For those over 55, it was 11 percent. The rate for unemployed workers under age 25 has been over 17 percent ever since the end of the recession.
In a recent statement to Congress , Secretary Lew said, “The best way to improve transparency and accountability is to make sure that we have better data on which to base our decision-making.”
He continued: “This Administration shares your goal of increasing transparency and I am determined that achieving economic security must remain at the center of our social policy. And as we work together to improve our social programs, this Administration is committed to improving information about the effectiveness of these expenditures.”
Yet if we can’t get the unemployment compensation numbers from the Social Security Administration, this is next to impossible. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, “There have been no updates since 2011 on how many people collect emergency benefits for the long-term jobless in any state or any metropolitan area.”
The report continues:
“A White House spokeswoman, Jessica Santillo, declined to comment and referred questions to the Social Security Administration. An agency spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on why it stopped publishing that data. The agency also hasn’t updated its website with these numbers since 2011.
4. In the most recent report from 2014, the average amount of unemployment compensation for American workers was $300 a week.
5. More than 1 million Americans reach retirement age every year and are eligible for Social Security benefits. By law, they must also be eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits if they have been unemployed for more than twenty-six weeks and meet certain other requirements.”
The Social Security Administration has stated that it is working on opening up these records to the general public so that individuals can do their own research and make their own determinations about how much unpaid compensation has been paid out to their fellow citizens over the years.
Also that it is taking steps to make sure that jobless Americans have the education they need to know if they are eligible for unemployment insurance.
However, there are many reasons why this information should be made available today. It would allow people to gain a better idea of where their tax money is going and how effective the system is at providing relief during hard economic times.
As Secretary Lew said, “Data on [unemployment compensation] is better than it was twenty years ago and continues to improve as we do our jobs….”
This will lead us toward a better understanding of how governments at all levels can best support job creation in the private sector in order to boost our country’s economy.
In order to make this information available to the public in a timely manner, there must be further updates made to the Social Security Administration’s website.
The American people have a right to access unemployment data as soon as possible. It is essential that information on unemployment insurance be made available immediately so that citizens can have all of the facts they need in order to make good decisions about their future and handle personal matters in the present day.
It is time for this information to be released on a regular basis, free of charge, and at no additional cost. What Americans need is the truth about their government’s unemployment compensation system. It is time to fight for what we deserve.
