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Labor Department

Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown
Rise In Food Prices Goes Beyond Eggs: Here’s Rundown Eggs are not the only food product seeing a sharp increase in prices. December grocery prices were nearly 28 percent higher than five years ago, reflecting how much harder families are finding it to manage their everyday expenses, The Wall Street Journal reports.  According to Labor Department data, grocery prices surged 1.8 percent year-over-year in December, marking the fastest increase in over a year, The trend started just after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2019, mainly due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. According to a Trace One analysis of US Bureau of Labo…
NJ Extends Unemployment Benefits Another 20 Weeks NJ Extends Unemployment Benefits Another 20 Weeks
NJ Extends Unemployment Benefits Another 20 Weeks Most of New Jersey's unemployed workers will be eligible for 20 more weeks of unemployment benefits -- totaling more than a year's worth of jobless pay, authorities said. Prior to Wednesday's announcement by the state Labor Department, unemployed New Jerseyans ran out of state and federal benefits after 39 weeks, About 1.3 million workers have filed for unemployment benefits in New Jersey since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The Labor Department paid $8.2 billion in state and federal benefits to eligible workers over that three-month period. “The state extension kicks in after clai…
NJ Labor Department Rolls Out Chat Bot -- But Won't Connect To Live Agent NJ Labor Department Rolls Out Chat Bot -- But Won't Connect To Live Agent
NJ Labor Department Rolls Out Chat Bot -- But Won't Connect To Live Agent New Jersey's labor department has rolled out a chat bot intended to help the thousands of residents who filed for unemployment. Although the bot will guide users in the right direction and answer frequently asked questions, it won't connect to a live agent -- a problem reported by many frustrated residents. More than 1 million New Jersey residents filed for unemployment since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. As of May 2, $1.9 billion had been paid out to more than 700,000 workers, the department said. Another 300,000 were waiting for their benefits to be approved Thursday. Gett…