Strengthening Unemployment Insurance for the 21st Century: A Roundtable Report

Abstract

This report summarizes the proceedings of a national roundtable on Strengthening Unemployment Insurance for the 21st Century, convened by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) in Washington, DC, on July 13, 2010. The roundtable was prompted by the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Social Security Act, which established Unemployment Insurance (UI) as a state-federal program in 1935, and by the Great Recession, which has placed unusual demands and stress on the UI program.The roundtable brought together about 70 government officials, legislative staff, researchers from think tanks and academia, representatives of employers and workers, and other interested parties. The day was organized into six panels, each on a specific aspect of the UI program, plus a final session during which attendees suggested UI program reforms. The first six panels started with brief presentations by at least two UI experts, then moved on to a discussion period and comments from others attendees.