New Unemployment Numbers Expected As OESC Deals With Critical Issues

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission says the number of Oklahomans filing for unemployment already tops 500,000.  

The state unemployment rate covers nearly 13% of the state's population.

This week's numbers will be released Thursday.

The employment security commission is hoping to hold a news conference Thursday on the workload and problems they continue to face.

During her first week as the new interim director, Shelley Zumwalt said the commission resolved more than 27,000 claims that got held up in the system. 

We’re told the agency cleared up the rest of that backlog over the weekend, making payouts to people who have needed help since March. She said that should make it easier for people to get the money they're waiting for.

"We will see a lot more people that will be able to file back weeks. We actually processed 180,000 weeks of claims last weekend, which is the most the agency has ever done,” said Zumwalt.

The agency said they're processing claims using 40-year-old software, which has caused them to have to fix issues in different areas.