SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California reported a significant surge in unemployment claims last week for independent contractors, raising concerns about a return of widespread fraud that already cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.
The U.S. Labor Department said California received an additional 77,000 claims last week compared with a week earlier under a program designed to help gig workers and the self-employed affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
The number accounted for more than a quarter of all such claims submitted nationally. The state Employment Development Department said it can't speculate about why there was such a large increase.