Unprecedented. A word that’s been used frequently to describe the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the world. At the New York State Department of Labor, that word took a new meaning as we faced a once-in-a-generation crisis that impacted workplace safety, the livelihood of businesses, and, especially, a tsunami of out-of-work New Yorkers in need of unemployment insurance and other federal benefit programs. The report below examines both the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on New York State and NYSDOL's response.