The state has seen a heavy increase in unemployment claims since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mirroring nationwide trends. The graphic shows the number of continued claims (blue) as well as first-time claims in a given week (orange). (Credit: Ben Orner of Capitol News Illinois, data from U.S. Dept. of Labor)

SPRINGFIELD — Another 3.2 million Americans filed for unemployment during the week ending May

2, including more than 74,476 Illinoisans.

That brought the total number of insured unemployed for the week to 697,443 in Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Labor estimates, while the total number of jobless claims since mid-March grew to 33.3 million nationwide. The numbers represent roughly 11 percent of Illinois’ civilian labor force and 15 percent of the nation’s workforce.

The numbers continue to grow while states around the country contemplate the best plan for reopening their economies as the novel coronavirus pandemic appears to be in the middle of a plateau.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” plan, which he says is backed by science and epidemiologists, has faced criticism from Republican lawmakers for moving too slowly to get the state working again.

“Until we have a vaccine or an effective treatment or enough widespread immunity that new cases fail to materialize, the option of returning to normalcy doesn’t exist,” Pritzker said in unveiling the plan Tuesday. “That means we have to learn how to live with COVID-19 until it can be vanquished.”

Pritzker’s plan separates the state into four regions by grouping the state’s various medical districts and sets timelines and benchmarks that must be met for a region to move into the next of five phases.

All of Illinois is currently in the second, or “flattening,” phase. The earliest a region can enter stage three is May 29, and it would have to have a test positivity rate of below 20 percent for 14 days, as well as 28 days without an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Hospitals in the region would also need a 14-percent surge capacity.

To reach the final phase in which large events are allowed and all sectors of the economy are open, there will need to be a widely available vaccine, treatment, or no new cases of the virus.

House Republicans on Wednesday, May 6 called for a legislative session to debate the merits of a more localized reopening strategy, claiming Pritzker’s plan will kill Illinois small businesses, particularly in the hospitality industry.

“Our state cannot survive this way, businesses, the employers cannot survive this,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said in a videoconference.

Democratic leaders have not yet indicated they have plans to call a legislative session to address reopening. House Speaker Michael Madigan said in a statement Wednesday that the health of lawmakers, staff and the public will be paramount when deciding when to return for session.

“While I am eager to see a return to normalcy, we are talking about people’s lives, and any plan for a return to Springfield must have the health and safety of all those involved as a top priority, including the communities the members represent,” Madigan said in the statement.

Last week’s 74,000 filings were fewer than the 81,000 filings the week prior, and down considerably from the peak of more than 200,000 during the week ending April 4.

Pritzker has faced continued criticism from Republican lawmakers for long wait times and other reported problems with the state’s unemployment filing system. While the governor said its capacity has been upped to handle an unprecedented number of calls, Republicans in the video conference Wednesday detailed a steady flow of calls to their offices regarding issues with unemployment.

Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, said one constituent told her she called IDES 157 times before finally getting through.

“This is really a broken, broken system,” Bourne said.

Pritzker said Wednesday he had a presentation planned for this week to discuss all that is being done to address unemployment claims. Previously he has pointed to an increase in call center capacity, a revamping of website server capacity and an increase of workers handling claims.

Also this week, the Illinois Department of Employment Security released new instructions for independent contractors and the self-employed who may be eligible for newly-created federal pandemic unemployment assistance.

Workers who believe they are eligible for the new insurance must first apply for regular unemployment assistance. Receiving a denial for regular unemployment benefits is a mandatory first step in determining eligibility for the new benefits. IDES encouraged workers to submit the regular claims before a new pandemic unemployment insurance portal  was scheduled to to go live on Monday, May 11.

If claimants receive an eligibility determination of $0, they can appeal that decision by providing verification of wages earned, or they can submit a claim for pandemic unemployment assistance via the new portal when it opens.

 jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com