North Carolina has distributed nearly $31 million in disaster relief unemployment benefits in the wake of Hurricane Helene, according to the N.C. Commerce Department. Upwards of 27,295 claims have been filed as of Sept. 29 in the 39 eligible counties and among the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Around $27 million has been disbursed in the form of state unemployment benefits while $3.8 million has been provided as federal disaster unemployment assistance benefits.

As Hurricane Helene directly impacted many workers and businesses including self-employed individuals, this aid was made possible due to the Biden administration’s declaration of a state of emergency in North Carolina. Anyone eligible can file an application until Tuesday for federal disaster unemployment assistance either through des.nc.gov, or by contacting 919-629-3857.

For the week ending on Nov. 23, the U.S. Labor Department reported that 3,769 new unemployment benefit claims were filed. Currently, 29,784 North Carolinians receive state unemployment benefits. Increased unemployment rates are typically the result of job eliminations and voluntary workforce withdrawals.

While recovery and job growth have been positive overall, economics professor Michael Walden of N.C. State University noted a recent slowdown in N.C. job growth, emphasizing that job growth needs to keep pace with new workforce entrants.

Furthermore, it is important to consider how the landscape of employment might change considering advancements in artificial intelligence and what this means for education and training. Walden suggested that these discussions need to happen sooner rather than later, as AI expands and integrates more rapidly into various parts of the economy.

Lastly, if you are a resident of California impacted by a disaster and looking for assistance, you need to contact the Employment Development Department (EDD) for support with unemployment benefits. You can get in touch with them via the EDD phone number or access their website. Eddcaller.com may also provide further assistance on how to contact EDD.