Stacie Sulzen never missed a shift. The 51-year-old bartender in Kansas often worked doubles to cover for her colleagues. She was happy bartending for the last 27 years, particularly when she got to socialize with patrons. So when the pandemic hit in March, she figured the bar would close for a couple weeks and she’d get some well-needed rest.
But she still hasn’t gone back to work.
The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the food service industry, and millions of restaurant and bar workers like Sulzen have lost their jobs.
Sulzen said it took the state three months to begin giving her unemployment benefits, and the website crashed when she filed a claim to get back pay.
Now, Sulzen doesn’t know if she’ll ever go back to the bar. “I'm glad I was able to prepay my bills for a few months, but after that, the future looks uncertain,” she told Business Insider.
Sulzen’s story reflects the reality of the 55 million Americans who
have filed for unemployment since mid-March, when the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping through the US. They have struggled to find work, make ends meet, and navigate a complicated and patchwork unemployment system.
As the coronavirus swept across the country and a number of states and localities implemented strict lockdowns to slow its spread, unemployment spiked to levels not seen since the Great Depression.
While the national unemployment rate in August was down to 8.4% — 6.3 percentage points lower than the peak rate of 14.7% in April — there were still 11.5 million fewer employed Americans in August than in February, before the coronavirus began spreading widely in the US.
The economic pain has been widespread, and no state has come out unscathed. As of July, unemployment rates ranged from a low of 4.6% in Utah to a high of 16.2% in Massachusetts.
Employment, as measured by the number of Americans on nonfarm payrolls, remains lower in every state and DC than before the start of the pandemic. About 29 million Americans — or about 18% of the total pre-pandemic workforce of 164.5 million — were still receiving some form of unemployment insurance during the week ending August 15.
In the early months of the pandemic, Congress authorized a supplemental $600 a week in unemployment benefits for workers dislocated by the pandemic. But those benefits expired at the end of July, slashing pay for the unemployed. According to the Department
of Labor, average unemployment benefits in most states are far less generous than that supplement.
The table below shows the extent of the damage across a variety of indicators for each state and DC.
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
United States of America
A look into chronic unemployment across the country.
Alabama
Julia Sayers Gokhale
Magazine editor
Elisa Hitchcock
Events planner
Erik Rothchild
Business development executive
Kimberly Stephens
Talent producer
Julia Bauer
Anthropologist
Delaware
William Oliver Coursey
Youth care worker
Florida
Artie Dromerhauser Pharmaceutical recruiter
John Valentino
Business owner
Georgia
Hawaii
Julia Cornell
Bartender and teaching assistant
Stephanie Becerra
Disney World intern
Idaho
Illinois
Teneia Townsend
Massage therapist
Indiana
LaTrell Smith
Operations manager
Paul Krueger
Carpenter
Iowa
Kansas
Stacie Sulzen
Bartender
Reuben Harness
Business development director
Kentucky
Louisiana
Ebony Mitchell
Program assistant
Maine
Penny Moshier
Store manager
Annika Cowles
Actress and barista
Maryland
Massachusetts
Kally Lavoie
Public relations manager
Erin Zettell
Registered dietitian
Michigan
Minnesota
Miles Gordon Jamison
Security guard and performer
Mississippi
Louis Bethley
Restaurant server
Paula Jan Beasley
Assistant restaurant manager
Missouri
Montana
Becca DeMeyer
Yoga instructor
and painter
Marty Svoboda
Entrepreneur
Nebraska
Stephanie Ravion
Customer service rep
Arkansas
Gloria Castiglione
Cleaning business owner
New Hampshire
Connecticut
Thomas Michael Ormond
Events director
Kristen Urban
HR administrator
New Jersey
Rachel Veal
Set dresser
New Mexico
Nevada
Lorenzo Steele
Specialty cook
Jay Fairbrother
Accountant
New York
Beatrice Johnson
Help Desk coordinator
Ohio
Amanda Stephenson
Small business owner
Oklahoma
Alyssa Meritt
VP of professional services
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Kristen Smith-Page
Wellness coordinator
Kara Theriault
Visitor services manager
Rhode Island
Tyrone Baker
Service supervisor
South Carolina
Julia Eberhart
Marketing manager
South Dakota
Shauna Webb Scott Business analyst
Tennessee
Penny Carpenter
Customer service rep
North Carolina
Serena Dunn
Payroll and office coordinator
North Dakota
Callie Price
Marketing specialist
Texas
Faye Barnhurst
Concert booking agent
Utah
Ericca Budick
Administrative assistant
Vermont
Eric Witiw
Recent grad
Virginia
Cameron Workman
Barista
Washington
Brandon Di Gregorio
Insurance agent
West Virginia
Nicholas J. Laurenzi
Shift manager
Wisconsin
Jordan Crane
Civil engineer
Wyoming
I have no money,
no job, barely any food,
and no gas money to find work. I lost my health insurance, which I relied upon to help manage
my depression.”
Mapping the damage
By Allana Akhtar, Andy Kiersz, Juliana Kaplan, Laura Casado, and Lauren Lee
50 states, 50 lives
There are troubling signs that while employment has improved from
the depths of spring, ongoing economic pain could be felt. While the unemployment rate improved in August, the number of people who permanently lost a job increased and the number of temporary layoffs decreased. It suggests that many jobs that were furloughed could now
be permanently eliminated, leading to a longer and harder recovery.
The Congressional Budget Office predicted in April that unemployment could be above 10% on average throughout 2021, far higher than the prepandemic rate of 3.8% in the first quarter of 2020. The Federal Reserve’s most recent projections suggest a 2021 unemployment rate
of 6.5%, lower than the CBO’s projections but still well above the rate before the crisis. The IRS released a report in August projecting far fewer tax returns filed for years to come, also suggesting a long-lasting slump in employment.
That means that even a relatively quick recovery from the pandemic could leave economic scars across the country.
To tell the story of this historic moment, Business Insider collected experiences from people in every state who lost work from
the coronavirus pandemic. They said that the country’s
unemployment insurance system, a historically neglected
and underfunded unit, left them unable to get a hold of
their benefits and put them further into debt. Americans
are struggling to find work because job growth hasn’t kept
up with the number of jobs lost.
They are also grappling with the reality of the coronavirus.
Kimberly Stephens, who lives in California, has to find work while
still grieving for the loss of her loved ones. Stephanie Ravion,
a 34-year-old mom of four, has an underlying medical condition, and she fears that finding nonremote work could kill her. Elisa Hitchcock cares for her elderly parents in Alaska, and she’d rather remain unemployed than expose her loved ones.
“I have worked hard since I was 16 years old, and it hurts that the government is not here for me when I need it,” Tyrone Baker, a 46-year-old auto technician in South Carolina, said.
But the story of coronavirus in the US has also been one of
resilience. Laid-off Americans told Business Insider they’ve
tried staying positive as they navigate impossible
circumstances.
After getting laid off from his job as a pharmaceutical
recruiter in Florida, 31-year-old Artie Dromerhauser has
struggled to pay bills and considered asking his family for
financial assistance. Yet he’s also looking at his situation as a sign
he should switch careers and pivot into the entertainment industry. He’s already started looking into voice acting.
William Oliver Coursey, 31, lost his job at a YMCA in Delaware. He said the $600 weekly benefits kept the family afloat, but since the state cut them down to $100 a week he’s had to dip into his savings account. He’s trying to look at the bright side, like his wife’s new business idea and having the chance to spend more time with his kids.
“Having my wife and kids here, not treating me any different, not treating me like I lost my job, it’s a great feeling,” Coursey said. “They’re the only reasons why I stayed sane, because if it wasn’t for them I would have blamed myself.”
Click through the grid below to see what living through labor loss looks like state to state.
“
Tyrone Baker, 46, Florence, SC
Work was my identity,
my purpose. Without that,
I found myself quickly spiraling into a serious depression ... I've never felt so hopeless in all my life.”
Ericca Budick, 43, Manchester, VT
“
After the initial shock,
the anxieties began to set in. It's a weird feeling when you've been in a top role and are thriving in your career, then suddenly you're nothing.”
Julie Sayers Gokhale, 29, Birmingham, AL
“
As a single father, it has been very difficult ... if I can't find a decent job soon, I'm not sure if I will be able to keep my house."
Erik Rothchild, 53, Chandler, AZ
“
Reporting: Allana Akhtar, Andy Kiersz, Juliana Kaplan, Laura Casado, and Lauren Lee
Editing: Drake Baer, Debbie Strong, and Nick Lichtenberg
Design and Graphics : Skye Gould, Samantha Lee, and Shayanne Gal
Photography: Crystal Cox, people photos courtesy of individuals, Tyler Croat, and Allanah Beazley
Additional Contributors: Hollis Johnson, Walt Hickey, Nick Dauk, Sarah Prager, Meira Gebel, Leah Feiger,
Taylor Goebel, James Charisma, Robin Catalano, Molly O’Brien, Jill Dutton, Nico Deyo, Ingrid Cruz, Brandie Erisman, Natalie Christensen, Amber Gibson, Katie Nave, Donna Freedman, and Seth Story
United States of America
A look into chronic unemployment across the country.