A month into a statewide stay-at-home order, more than 300,000 Hoosiers have filed for unemployment benefits.
Restaurant, retail, hotel and some non-essential health care workers are out of work as their jobs have been temporarily or permanently eliminated due to the ongoing public health crisis.
The first wave of coronavirus-related unemployment claims trickled in at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development during the week ending March 21, when 59,755 people filed for benefits. The next week, the floodgates opened when 139,174 more people filed. Last week, the flood continued, with 133,639 additional filings.
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To date, 332,568 Hoosiers have filed for benefits, according to figures from the state Department of Workforce Development.
Before the public health crisis, Indiana unemployment claims were near historic lows. For the week ending March 14, just 2,596 Hoosiers filed a claim. In February, 2.6% of Johnson County workers were unemployed, department data showed.
Today, many in Johnson County are in limbo as the Department of Workforce Development’s systems are overwhelmed.
‘I was in complete shock’
Josh Viewegh has been out of a job for about four weeks and has yet to see a dime from the state or federal government, he said Monday. The Edinburgh resident was still waiting for his unemployment payments to start.
Viewegh worked as a traveling service technician for Cadillac Coffee, a coffee supplier for gas stations and hotels in Indiana and Illinois, he said. But when many hotels closed, he and several of his coworkers were told they would be furloughed for at least six weeks, Viewegh said.
Like many who are now out of work, Viewegh is uncertain about his finances. Bills continue to roll in, he said. He and his wife managed to save some of their tax check, but that will not run their household for long, he said.
“I’ve never been unemployed. I’ve always had a job. It’s frustrating,” Viewegh said. “When I got the call, I was in complete shock and almost panic mode. We had set back some tax money, so we are a little comfortable. But you don’t know when unemployment is coming.”
Viewegh was denied unemployment benefits and had been trying to contact the department for weeks, he said. On Monday, he finally got through. He was told what he needed to do to resend his application after a three-hour phone call.
‘We have seen nothing yet’
Sherry Fauris was laid off March 15 from Johnny Carino’s, where she had worked for more than a decade at both the Greenwood and Columbus locations. Both Fauris and her daughter were laid off from the Columbus restaurant. Thankfully, her son, a construction worker, is still able to work, she said.
Unemployment benefits have not arrived yet for the Franklin resident, who said she applied weeks ago. She is concerned with how slowly the Department of Workforce Development is handling claims. She has reached out several times without a clear answer as to when her benefits will start, she said.
Fauris is trying to stay positive. She’s also waiting for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act stimulus payments to be distributed. But the uncertainty is taxing, she said.
“There is hope,” Fauris said. “It’s just so hard waiting and believing these things to be true when we have seen nothing yet.”
Under the CARES Act, individuals receiving unemployment will get an extra $600 each week to bridge the gap between state unemployment benefits and an individual’s previous salary. But the state is still waiting for disbursement instructions from the U.S. Department of Labor, Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Fred Payne said Friday.
Since beneficiaries have been awaiting the benefits for some time, Indiana will make the benefit retroactive to March 29, meaning they will receive back pay once those payments start, Payne said.
‘I took an oath’
Madison Medsker, a medical assistant who worked for a Greenwood pain management doctor, never thought her job would be at-risk, especially during a public health emergency, but she was furloughed last week, she said. When her employer made the switch to telehealth, the office staff was furloughed until operations can return to normal, Medsker said.
The Shelby County resident filed for unemployment over the weekend, but is actively seeking work, she said. Since Medsker finished school in 2019 and has only been practicing for four months, she suspects it will be an especially tough job market for her, she said.
Still, being a trained health care worker, she is hoping to find a way to help out during the pandemic, Medsker said.
“I feel helpless, like I’m not doing my part,” Medsker said. “I took an oath and to not be able to take care of them makes me feel useless in a sense.”
‘A different world’
Not everyone feels the same way.
Initially, phones were ringing off the hook at First Call Staffing Agency in Franklin. But the lines have slowed as people have opted to stay inside and draw unemployment instead of finding another job, said Cindy Burger, regional manager at First Call.
“It is literally night and day; from 50 phone calls every hour to a couple,” Burger said. “The only calls we are getting now are people who can’t get unemployment.”
For those who still need a job, the market is getting thinner, as many of the warehouses that had been hiring have already filled the openings, Burger said. But there are still some jobs available, she said.
“Right now, we don’t have any jobs, but in an hour, we could have 10,” Burger said. “If we know someone is really looking for work, they will get the job first.”
Since most companies already offered online applications, applying for jobs during social distancing is mostly the same, Burger said. But most interviews are now by phone or video, she said.
“It’s a different world,” Burger said. “I knew it was going to be like this in the future, but I didn’t know it was going to be here so soon.”
‘We have a tight family’
Fauris is holding out hope she can return to the job she’s dedicated much of her life to. For now, she is spending the unexpected time off with family.
“We are praying that they do open Carino’s back up. If not, I will definitely be out looking for another job. I just pray this doesn’t come to that,” Fauris said. “I have been with this company for 10-plus years. We have a tight family at Carinos … and the thought of people losing their jobs hurts my heart.”
Viewegh’s days consist of helping his three kids with eLearning, playing catch in the yard, going to the park and helping his wife around the house, he said.
Fauris is spending time with her adult children and granddaughter, who she is teaching to cook, she said.
“The kids and I have just tried to stay busy doing things around our house. And on the positive side, it has been nice,” Fauris said. “I try not to show my fear, because I am all these kids have. If I fall apart, then they will too.”
