More Missourians File for Unemployment Assistance

It is difficult to assess how many people will need and qualify for unemployment in Missouri due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but the Department of Labor expects an enormous surge in the number of unemployment claims. In the week ending March 21, 42,207 Missourians filed claims for unemployment. For the week ending March 28, there were 104,230 claims filed. That's two and half times more claims filed than two weeks ago, and 26 times higher than three weeks ago. It is projected that through July 2020, 163,000 Missourians will file unemployment claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing in an additional $1.7 billion in federal unemployment benefits to the state.

To qualify, one must have lost their job through no fault of their own, such as closures due to the coronavirus. If a person was fired for poor performance, was on sick leave or on family medical leave, they are not eligible. Also, if you left work to take care of children due to school closures or babysitting responsibilities due to coronavirus, you are not eligible. Click here to apply for unemployment benefits. If you are in need of food stamps or other assistance through the Department of Social Services, click here.

Nationally, 6.6 million people filed for unemployment just last week. In total, nearly 10 million Americans have lost jobs due to coronavirus. At the height of the Great Recession, 8.8 million lost jobs.