PBS News Hour

Decades-old unemployment systems can’t handle record demand

More than 22 million people have filed for unemployment benefits in recent weeks due to the novel coronavirus. And those record numbers are taxing decades-old unemployment systems in states across the U.S., many which use a legacy programming language called COBOL. State governments are now trying to find more programmers qualified to fix the systems. NewsHour Weekend's Christopher Booker reports.

Decades-old unemployment systems can’t handle record demand

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