Extent of Claims Backlog Is Unclear, U.S. Labor Secretary Says

As the number of Americans applying for unemployment insurance keeps running in the millions each week, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said it’s not clear how much state backlogs contributed to the latest figures.

Heading into the pandemic, many state unemployment offices relied on outdated websites and were severely understaffed for the unprecedented surge in claims. Since March 15, more than 30 millionapplications for jobless benefits have been reported, leading to filing backlogs across the country. Scalia, in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday, said the department is doing all it can to help the state offices during this ...