NY Department of Labor teams up with Google for a new unemployment application platform

The coronavirus pandemic is creating an unprecedented surge in applications for unemployment assistance and now, Engadget reports that the NY Department of Labor has teamed up with Google in order to provide an unemployment portal for applications that is more reliable than the old one.

The NY Department of Labor (DOL) is partnering not only with Google, but also with Deloitte and Verizon on the project called “Tech Surge” which is said to improve the reliability of the unemployment assistance program online and via telephone. Deloitte will create a bigger call center for the DOL, and Verizon will assure an increase in the call center availability lines.

Google’s help on the project will be focused on providing an online platform with availability to a higher volume of users, as well as assuring that users can save an incomplete application to resume work on later. The new portal will be accessible from Android, iOS, tablets and laptops. The project will be based on Google Cloud.

The company said this portal feature could be used in other states in order to combat the growing number of people, struggling with unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new application portal will be available today from the NY Department of Labor’s website.