TRIAD – Thousands of people out of work for long periods in the greater High Point area could benefit from a jobless benefits extension bill passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama last week.

In North Carolina, 8,131 people exhausted their unemployment compensation during the last 60 days, according to figures from the N.C. Employment Security Commission. The total includes 165 in Davidson County, 451 in Guilford County and 126 in Randolph County.

Another 91,290 workers in North Carolina would exhaust jobless benefits in the next 121 to 180 days, the ESC reports. That group includes 1,872 people in Davidson, 4,841 in Guilford and 1,457 in Randolph.

The bill signed into law Friday provides additional federal jobless benefits routed through the states. Obama approved the legislation the same day the federal government reported that the U.S. jobless rate rose to 10.2 percent in October, the highest level since 1983.

The extra 20 weeks provided by the bill could allow someone out of work in a high unemployment state, such as North Carolina, to receive up to 99 weeks of benefits, the most in U.S. history. Unemployment checks average about $300 a week nationally.

“In North Carolina, the struggling economy has wreaked havoc on hard-working families. Unemployment in our state is at a staggering rate of nearly 11 percent,” said Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan.

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