The Connecticut Department of Labor processed more than 33,000 initial claims for unemployment benefits last week, according to new federal figures Thursday, after cranking out more than 25,000 over the previous week as layoffs spiked with business closures forced by the coronavirus pandemic. This week, Gov. Ned Lamont suggested some newly unemployed workers may have to wait as long as five weeks for DOL to process their claims to trigger initial checks, with the department adding staff but laboring to process claims with as workers operating remotely wrestle with an outdated software system. As of last Friday, Connecticut had the second highest rate in the nation of people receiving jobless benefits, at more than 82,000 for an insured unemployment rate of 2.7 percent.
https://www.middletownpress.com/business/article/CT-processes-33K-jobless-claims-in-week-2-of-15173798.php