For the week of March 9th New Mexico Workforce Solutions saw less than 800 claims for unemployment benefits. The week following recorded over 11,000 new applications. The cause for such a dramatic surge in requests can be attributed to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s order for businesses to begin curtailing operations in an effort to limit the spread of Coronavirus in NM. Even the NM Workforce Connection centers themselves, where residents can apply for unemployment benefits, have closed their doors and switched to online applications only.
NMBC issued a press release on March 17th formally requesting that the Governor extend protections for business owners who will surely see their unemployment insurance rates spike. While the decision to have nonessential employees stay home was essential in helping to prevent the spread of the virus, it will have detrimental long term effects for the businesses who were forced to comply. Read the NMBC press release HERE.