By Hank Russell
There have been reports of corporations announcing mass layoffs, local eateries closing their doors and people resorting to government aid and food pantries to feed their families.
Despite the gloomy reports out there, a recent study found that New York State saw a decrease in the number of unemployment claims from the previous week. However, the numbers aren’t as good, compared to most of the other states.
WalletHub recently found that the number of unemployment claims in the Empire State during the week of November 24, 2025 fell 17.98% from the week of November 17, 2025. Although that figure is higher than the nation’s (12.4%), New York was only in the middle of the pack — 25th in the U.S.
Alabama had the largest weekly drop in new unemployment claims in the country at 50.57%, according to WalletHub. Nebraska had the largest increase in jobless applications with a whopping 98.46%
But when compared to the same week last year, New York saw a 1.76% rise in jobless claims, the 17th-highest in the U.S., based on WalletHub data. North Dakota had the greatest decrease in new unemployment claims at 45.68%. Further, the number of forms filed so far this year in the state is 2.98% higher than it was the same time last year — 25th in the nation. Wisconsin saw the biggest drop in unemployment claims at 15.80%.
WalletHub also found that, in New York, 148 claims are filed per 100,000 people in the labor force. That is 17th in the nation. Florida had the lowest per-capita of 32 per 100,000.
“We see from private companies reporting labor market trends that most employers are not adding jobs, but they also aren’t laying people off,” said
Dana Sumpter, a professor with Pepperdine University noted that, while companies are not laying off workers, they are not making any new hires, either. “This makes for a feel kind of a holding pattern,” she said. “So while some may interpret that as stability, others may foresee being on the precipice of a downturn.”