also seasonal workers usually qualify when the season ends, and temp workers qualify when their assignment ends if theyre not immediately placed somewhere else. the key is you have to be able and available to work and actively looking for new employment

Just want to add a few more scenarios that qualify - if you're dealing with domestic violence and need to leave your job for safety reasons, that's considered good cause. Also, if you have a medical condition that prevents you from doing your specific job duties (but you can still work other jobs), you may qualify. And for anyone wondering about part-time work - you can sometimes collect partial benefits if you're working reduced hours, as long as your weekly earnings don't exceed your benefit amount. The system is more flexible than people think in certain situations.

If your brother is having trouble reaching someone at NYS Department of Labor to ask about his specific situation, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent when I couldn't get through on my own. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might be worth trying if he wants to verify his eligibility directly with NYS Department of Labor instead of guessing.

The system is honestly ridiculous that a kid who loses their job can't get help just because they haven't worked long enough yet. Like what are they supposed to do in the meantime?

One more thing - make sure she keeps detailed records of her job search activities right from the start. NYS Department of Labor requires you to make at least 3 job contacts per week and keep a log. Even if her claim is still processing, she needs to be actively looking for work and documenting it. They can ask to see this information at any time.

Just want to add that she should also gather her bank account information for direct deposit setup during the application process. NYS Department of Labor strongly recommends direct deposit over waiting for debit cards to arrive by mail. Also, if she was laid off due to lack of work (not fired for misconduct), make sure she selects the correct reason on the application - this affects how quickly her claim gets processed. The system will ask for specific details about her separation, so having her termination letter or any documentation from HR can be helpful if there are follow-up questions.

JUST TO ADD - make sure you apply right away if you do lose your job, even if you're not 100% sure you qualify. The NYS Department of Labor will determine your eligibility and you don't want to miss out on any potential benefits while you're figuring it out. The worst they can say is no, but at least you'll know for sure.

Just want to add my experience here - I was in almost the exact same situation as you Sean! Got let go after about 8 weeks at a new job and was panicking about whether I'd qualify for unemployment. Turns out my previous job from about 14 months earlier still counted toward my base period earnings. The NYS Department of Labor rep I finally got through to explained that as long as you meet those earnings thresholds during the base period quarters, the length of time at your most recent job doesn't matter. The tricky part was actually getting someone on the phone to walk through my specific situation - took me weeks of busy signals and dropped calls. But once I got clarity on my eligibility, the actual application process was pretty straightforward. Don't stress too much about the 6 weeks - focus on whether your total earnings during the base period meet the requirements.

For the most up-to-date unemployment percentage data, I'd recommend checking the New York State Department of Labor's official Labor Market Information page directly. They typically release preliminary monthly data around the 3rd Friday of each month. The unemployment percentage can vary quite a bit between regions - NYC metro area often differs from upstate regions like Rochester, Syracuse, or the North Country. You might also want to look at both the seasonally adjusted and non-seasonally adjusted numbers depending on what your analysis requires. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also publishes state-level data that complements the NYS DOL reports, which can be helpful for comparing trends over time.

The NYS Department of Labor does publish county-level unemployment data! For the Capital Region/Albany area specifically, you can find detailed breakdowns that include Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties. They usually group it as the "Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area" in their reports. The county-level data sometimes lags a bit behind the statewide numbers by a few weeks, but it's definitely available. I'd also suggest checking out the "Local Area Unemployment Statistics" section on their site - that's where they dive into the more granular geographic data that sounds like what you're looking for.