California Job Losses Continue To Mount Amid Pandemic

Unemployment Form
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Many people around the Bay Area either have lost work due to the coronavirus crisis, or they know someone who has, and devastating losses will take some comprehensive action once the economy reopens. More than 3-million unemployment claims have been filed in California in the last month.

Businesses across the Bay Area have notified the state Employment Development Department of plans to lay off or furlough more than 65,000, but those notifications known as WARN notices don’t necessarily offer a complete picture of the job losses. 

“[The requirement to file WARN notices> only applies to employers with 75 or more employees. Most of our businesses in the Bay Area are under that number,” said employment lawyer and former EDD director Michael Bernick.

Bernick said employers also are only required to file WARN notices when they plan to lay off a certain number of people. He said that once the shelter in place orders are lifted, reopening the economy won’t be a speedy process.

“It’s likely it will take some time in terms of both consumers and workers to come back.”said Bernick, “I think we have to open it with confidence, and then I think we’ll have to be able to adapt and pivot as we reopen.”

Eventbrite, CarMax, Burlington Coat Factory, and WeWork are just a few of the businesses that have filed WARN notices with EDD over the last few weeks. 

 

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