Developing News
Post-Federal Shutdown Updates
Unemployment Benefit Repayments:
If you are a federal employee who was impacted by the recent federal shutdown and filed an Unemployment Insurance claim in New York, please be advised of the following information:
As the Federal shutdown has come to an end, federal agencies have started to issue retroactive pay to furloughed and excepted employees. The New York State Department of Labor will be sending questionnaires to affected claimants in the coming weeks. These questionnaires will ask you to clarify certain information about your claim, and the back pay that you may have received. Please do not send any reimbursements for any benefits that you have received until you get a determination letter instructing you to do so. Any payments received prior to your determination letter being issued cannot be processed and will not be applied to your account.
If you have any questions, you may contact the telephone claims center at 888-209-8124 to speak with a representative.
Employment Data Update:
With the federal government shutdown ending, we will soon be receiving jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for October and November.
Please Note: Local area unemployment rate data for October 2025 will not be published, as the BLS was unable to collect this information during the federal shutdown. Jobs data for October 2025 will be included in the November 2025 press release. The date for the November 2025 press release will be announced here soon.
What You Need to Know
December 2025
- Minimum Wage: Beginning January 1, 2026, the minimum wage rates will rise to $17 per hour for New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, while the rest of the state will see an increase to $16 per hour.
- Celebrating Small Businesses: Small businesses are at the heart of the State’s economy during the holiday season and all year long. The New York State Department of Labor offers a number of no-cost services to help businesses of all sizes, including listing open positions, finding candidates, obtaining business tax credits, and getting expert help with labor law.
- Workforce Scheduler: Customers can more easily manage upcoming appointments and connect with NYSDOL with the Workforce Scheduler, a new self-service website to help customers better manage access to the wide range of no-cost career services offered by the Department.
DOL is Here to Help
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FYI:
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