The Job Service in Kalispell is here to help folks with questions about jobs and unemployment benefits, director Laura Gardner said.

With the state unemployment offices swamped with calls, the Job Service has been helping out folks, she said. The Job Service has about 15 people in its offices manning phone lines. While they can’t process unemployment claims, they can help folks with the questions about the process, Gardner said.

“We’re still here to help people,” Gardner said. “We’re encouraging Montanans to file for unemployment benefits the week a person becomes unemployed.”

One of the main questions people have concerns the $600 a week payment promised under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

The state is still in the process of reprogramming its software to include that additional payment. It is coming, but an exact timeline hasn’t been established. People who have filed for unemployment because of the coronavirus will see those payments retroactively to when they first filed.

In addition, the CARES Act also allows independent contractors and folks who file 1099 tax forms to file for unemployment. Those workers are traditionally not eligible to file for unemployment, but with the gig economy, a lot of people are now out of work.

In order to comply with the new coverage and benefits provisions in the CARES Act, all states, including Montana, will have to implement significant changes to computer systems in order to get payments to individuals. States are working with the U.S. Department of Labor and will implement changes as quickly as possible, Gardner noted.

More information on these changes will be posted at dli.mt.gov/cares-act as updates are available.

The job market is still hiring in certain sectors, Gardner noted. Folks interested in pursuing job openings are urged to go to careeeronestop.org

In addition, the The Montana Department of Labor and Industry has a wide range of resources available for both Montana businesses and employees impacted by COVID-19. They’re encouraged to visit dli.mt.gov/covid-19.

New unemployment claims statewide breached 25,000 by the end of March and continue to rise. The number of claims in Flathead County was up by more than 3,700 in March over last year, an increase of 541 percent.

Spring is usually a robust time for hiring in the Flathead and businesses gear up for the busy tourist season.

But the Job Service had to cancel its job fair for the end of this month due to the coronavirus, Gardner said.