Officials at the Department of Labor on Thursday touted efforts to expand call volume as thousands of people seek to file for unemployment benefits amid the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Department of Labor is turning to a raft of companies -- Google Cloud, Verizon and Deloitte -- to help expand online and and phone-based services for people who are applying for unemployment. 

The new system being launched on Thursday, and the online unemployment insurance application will go offline today between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. as it is being rebooted. 

“I recognize that this is an extremely challenging time for all New Yorkers,” Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said. “I have been unemployed. I understand the urgency. We want you to be aware of the steps that we are taking to respond to each of you, as quickly as we can. We know that your livelihood depends on it and we assure you that you will get your benefits.” 

The Department of Labor also plans to use a "call back" feature that would allow state representatives to call New Yorkers with incomplete information while also streamlining the number of questions on an applications, making it shorter and easier to understand. 

The system has become overwhelmed and crashed, in part, due to call backs by people seeking to file.

The deluge of calls and web visits has not let up in the weeks since the economy in the state virtually shutdown due to efforts to halt the spread of the pandemic. 

Millions of people nationally have filed for unemployment and the current rate is believed to have already surpassed joblessness at the time of the 2008 Great Recession. 

"It's one of those unintended consequences of a situation like this," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday of the difficulty of getting through to unemployment insurance. 

"We have 1,000 people who are now working on just personnel for that incoming system. Think about that -- that was the number we used to get in applicants, now we have 1,000 people processing applications."

Benefits will be retroactive from when a person lost their job. 

To alleviate volume, officials want New Yorkers who are filing to call or visit the website on staggered days. People with last names beginning with A-F file on Monday, G-N on Tuesday, and O-Z on Wednesday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be left for people who miss their days.