New Jobless Claims Shatter Week-Old Records in State, Across Nation

“The way we designed this program, it is our desire that employees will be put back on the payroll,” McSally said. “We can't process the unemployment claims, in the state level, it's just going to take forever with the number that are out there”

DES, which handles about 3,500 unemployment claims in a typical week, said Thursday that it has already boosted its call center workforce from 13 to 100. An agency spokesman said in an email that there will be another “22 new staff joining the team next week, so we can process claims and ensure Arizonans in need receive the benefits to which they are entitled.”

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McPheters said overwhelmed unemployment services departments like DES mean the problem is likely worse than anyone realizes – even though claims in Arizona have “essentially tripled in the most recent release that we have.”

But McPheters said the state is better positioned to climb out of the coming economic troubles than it was in the past – whenever that turnaround comes.

“Going into this downturn, compared to years past we are much more diverse now than we have been over past decades,” McPheters said.

“This is all kind of based on the idea – is it a hope, is it scientifically viable – that all of this begins to reverse after June. That the virus infection curve starts turning down in June and things get back to normal,” he said.

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