Lawmakers Call on Unemployment Offices to Reopen

TRENTON – Assemblymen Antwan McClellan and Erik Simonsen calling on the New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) to reopen their offices for in-person business. 
Along with Sen. Michael Testa (R-1), McClellan and Simonsen have helped over 4,000 constituents with unemployment benefit issues, they said in a news release.
“We truly enjoy being a helping hand to the community in their time of need,” stated McClellan. “Applying for unemployment has been one of the more painful processes during Gov. Murphy’s Covid shutdown, and we have been working tirelessly to alleviate some of that stress. Until the NJDOL opens up their offices for in-person visits, New Jerseysans will continue to struggle through this process, but we will be there to help them along the way.”
The NJDOL’s One-Stop Career Centers have also been closed since March 2020, leaving those needing its services to fend for themselves, according to the release. For this reason, McClellan and Simonsen said they have added new constituent service options to help those who have been affected by the NJDOL closures to include in-person resume assistance. 
“When you tell people the unemployment offices have been closed since March 2020, they are shocked,” stated Simonsen. “Kids are back in schools, people are getting vaccinated, but yet places like the NJDOL still keep their doors closed. They have an online option, but with so many people trying to use the system at one time, it shuts down and becomes unusable.”  
Those who live in Legislative District 1 and would like to make an appointment for unemployment benefits assistance or help to update a resume, can call (609) 778-2012, the release stated.