Winston Salem Times

Millions of Americans have unwillingly left the workplace and stepped into the virtual unemployment line to find income to stay afloat until they can re-enter the workforce.

In North Carolina, 87% of the now-unemployed said they lost their job due to COVID-19 cutbacks, the Winston-Salem Journal reported on April 7.

"Since March 15, 705,339, unemployment claims have been filed" in North Carolina and $617,677,532 worth of benefits have been paid out as of April 22, ABC 11 reported on April 23.

For individuals out-of-work needing unemployment benefits, the state can issue up to $350 per week, and the federal government is also contributing an additional $600 for 13 weeks or more, the Winston-Salem Journal reported. Independent contractors and self-employed people can also qualify for federal unemployment benefits.

Out-of-work freelancers, like Mark Barroso of Pittsboro, qualify for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Plan. The PUA is available to the self-employed, independent contractors, and to people who were forced to stay home because their child's school was closed due to the coronavirus, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.

Barroso told the News & Observer on April 1 that the wait time for federal assistance is an issue.

“They don’t understand that everything’s accelerated,” Barroso told the News & Observer. “They need to speed up everything and they gotta act like their house is on fire.”

Barroso works as a sound recordist on TV shows. This is freelance work and now with the pandemic, TV jobs are drying up. “About $8,000 worth of work vanished in a couple [of] days and no one is hiring,” Barroso told the News & Observer.

Those who have applied for unemployment benefits will likely have to wait approximately two weeks before the first check arrives, ABC 11 reported. The process for some, though, has not been easy, and finding a benefit's employee has proven difficult at times in North Carolina and elsewhere across the county. 

Toney Battle recently is unemployed and has yet to reach anyone at the state Division of Employment Security Commission for assistance.

"I stayed on the phone for five hours and 17 minutes," Battle told ABC 11. "Today, I stayed on the phone for seven hours and two minutes. This is ridiculous."

Ginny Meadows, another person seeking unemployment assistance, had the same complaint, ABC 11 reported.

"It's been six hours and I've been calling the unemployment office since they opened at 8:00 am," Meadows told ABC 11. "I get the same exact message that the queue is full."

The North Carolina Division of Employment Security Commission unemployment insurance call centers is hiring more agents to assist applicants that are having trouble navigating the unemployment website. The agency is looking to add 850 call-center employees, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.