Vast Majority of Calls to Unemployment Insurance Call Centers Went Unanswered

MADISON, WI (WHBL) – An audit of the state’s unemployment insurance program’s call centers indicate more than 93-percent of phone calls regarding unemployment claims went unanswered for months.

The state audit released today shows over 41 million phone calls made to the Department of Workforce Development from mid-March through the end of June.  Over 38 million, or 93-percent, were blocked or received busy signals and didn’t reach the call center.  Only a half-of-a-percent of calls were answered in the early months of the pandemic.