When the COVID-19 pandemic struck California five years ago, it massively impacted California families not only medically but economically.
As the state forced many businesses to close their doors, 3 million Californians lost their jobs, shooting the state’s unemployment rate up to more than 16%. In turn, two state programs that are supposed to cushion employees from the effects of workplace disruption were hard-hit.
The most obvious impact is what happened to the state’s unemployment insurance program.
As workers were laid off, they filed claims for weekly benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, which employers finance through payroll taxes.
