Lose your job? You soon can apply for unemployment benefits by phone
With North Carolina’s unemployment rate at 7 percent and climbing in recent months as the economy slows, the state soon will offer another means for people who have lost their jobs to seek unemployment benefits.
Effective Dec. 3, the North Carolina Employment Security Commission will introduce a voice-recognition system for people needing to file unemployment claims. The state will be the first in the country to offer the service, according to ESC Chairman Harry Payne Jr.
The ESC already offers online applications as well as registration at its offices across the state.
The phone system, which has been tested through a multi-county pilot program, will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The number is toll-free: 1-877-841-9617.
If a caller needs help in using the systems, the ESC said it will provide human assistance during regular business hours.
However, the ESC said the new voice system will work in a “conversational manner.”
“We believe it will provide a better customer service experience and help those filing claims understand the process, especially those filing for the first time,” Payne said in a statement.
Wake County was among the counties where the system was tested.
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