California experienced a rise in initial filings for unemployment benefits last week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. New jobless claims, which act as a measure for layoffs, grew from 36,707 to 38,181 in the week ending on September 14th. In contrast, U.S. unemployment claims generally decreased to 219,000 last week, falling 12,000 claims from 231,000 the week prior, on a seasonally adjusted basis. With respect to the largest changes in claims, Alaska saw an increase of 46.1%, while Nebraska experienced the most significant drop in new claims by 44.2%.

Those applying for benefits in California might struggle to get in touch with the Employment Development Department (EDD) due to this increase in unemployment claims. However, assistance and guidance on how to get ahold of EDD customer service can be found at eddcaller.com. This website provides useful information to help applicants connect with a live representative from EDD, offering insight into the fastest way to get through over the phone and help with issues such as benefits status and claim disputes.