Oklahomans Filling for Unemployment Tops 500,000, OESC Says

New numbers on unemployment claims are expected to be released in just a few hours.

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

That's nearly 13 percent of our state's population.

News OK also reports 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 says the commission resolved more than 27,000 claims that got held up in the system.

They've dealt with issues processing some payments and there are still people who have only received a portion of their weekly benefits.

Zumwalt says the agency is constantly adjusting to make things run smoother

"No longer will people, the majority of the cases get the tier-1 agents who says 'basically all I can do is give you a claim number and good luck', right?"' said Zumwalt.

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