NYS Lags Behind in Payouts to Help Unemployed, Injured Workers

Dec 9, 2024

1 min

Gregory DeFreitas

Gregory DeFreitas, professor of economics and director, Center for Study of Labor and Democracy, was interviewed by Newsday for a story on a report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office that shows that the state lags behind others when it comes to cash payouts for several social safety net programs meant to help unemployed or injured workers.



Dr. DeFreitas explained that the state’s unemployment benefits system was challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state still owes the federal government $6.2 billion in debt from borrowing funds to pay out a record number of unemployment claims spurred by pandemic job losses, according to the report.


“We’re only one of three states in debt like that,” Dr. DeFreitas said. “What that means is we really can’t raise benefits until we repay that $6.2 billion or raise taxes.”

Connect with:
Gregory DeFreitas

Gregory DeFreitas

Professor of Economics, Director of the Center for the Study of Labor and Democracy

Prof. DeFreitas is an expert on labor studies.

Labor EconomicsResearch MethodsUrban EconomicsMicroeconomicsAfrican Economic Development
Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Hofstra University

How Teachers Are Incorporating the 9/11 Anniversary in Their Classes featured image

1 min

How Teachers Are Incorporating the 9/11 Anniversary in Their Classes

Alan Singer, professor emeritus of learning, teaching, and technology, appears in a Newsday article about how teachers are approaching the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in their classrooms. “For the generation that lived through 9/11, it was a day that will live in infamy,” he said. “But for [younger] people, it may not. So the question then becomes, what do we want kids to learn about 9/11?”

Why Tornadoes on LI are a Rarity featured image

1 min

Why Tornadoes on LI are a Rarity

After an EF1 tornado touched down in Atlantic Beach on August 20, Dr. Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability, talked to Newsday about this rare occurrence. Some parts of the country – particularly in the central United States – are more likely to have the atmospheric conditions required to form a tornado. One key condition these cyclones require is “a clashing of contrasting air masses,” said Bernhardt. “We just don’t have the ingredients that are necessary. The water around the island tends to moderate the climate a bit.”

ICE Arrests Decline on Long Island featured image

1 min

ICE Arrests Decline on Long Island

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies, was interviewed by Newsday about the decline in ICE arrests on Long Island. This stands in contrast to the rest of the country where nearly 50,000 people were arrested in July, the highest number since President Donald Trump’s second term. Levy said the trend, if the data is accurate, suggests that organized opposition to aggressive immigration enforcement by Latino and non-Latino residents and organizations may be having an impact.

View all posts