More than 830,000 people in Pennsylvania have found themselves without a job or income source in the last two weeks due to the statewide shutdown of non-essential businesses. At the end of last week, the number of unemployment claims surged and the system began malfunctioning. Currently, the Department of Labor and Industry is working on addressing this issue by hiring 100 more people. While the unemployment system seeks new employees to address increased demand for benefits, unemployed people seeking help are left frustrated.
See "Pennsylvania unemployment system overwhelmed by pandemic claims", Rebecca Moss, The Philadelphia Inquirer , March 31, 2020