Oklahoma is working to cope with a major rush of unemployment claims. The COVID-19 pandemic and falling oil prices have resulted in Oklahoma's unofficial unemployment rate at a record 11.5%.
Unofficial numbers from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission show 135,000 people have filed first time jobless claims since mid-March.
To deal with the rise in claims, the OESC has added 100 call center workers and plans to add 200 workers by the end of the week to aid in fielding calls.
State officials strongly suggest filing claims online at bit.ly/OKunemploymentclaim.
OESC will hold a virtual Town Hall event on Friday at 1 p.m. You can register for free for the event through EventBrite or by clicking this link.
