We appreciate the leadership of the Walz-Flanagan administration at this time, making difficult decisions to protect the health and safety of Minnesotans. The executive order to Stay at Home is the right thing to do for our health. We understand that it has real consequences for people whose places of employment have closed and for those who face reduced hours. While DEED staff are practicing social distancing in compliance with the Stay at Home order, we are still working hard so that Minnesotans can apply for and receive unemployment insurance benefits and small business assistance.

We want to connect with People of Color and Indigenous people, immigrant communities, people with disabilities, and anyone else who is disproportionately affected by our current crisis. We have been hearing from you about how hard this is, and we are committed to providing the information you need. That’s why we invite community leaders, nonprofit leaders, business owners, and others to join us for these new regular Community Calls with DEED that will be starting soon.

Our first call topic will be Unemployment Insurance. We will be sharing information about these regular calls very soon.

- Hamse Warfa, Deputy Commissioner