MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - It seems that everywhere you look, more people are losing their jobs.

In fact, 9.3 percent of workers are out of work in the State of Michigan. When you lose your job, what are your options?

A lot of folks sign up for unemployment, but Newschannel 3 learned that's not exactly an easy task. We spoke to someone today who says that when he calls the unemployment office, he can never get through. So what's the deal? Newschannel 3 went to the source to find out.

Unemployment is spinning out of control, more that 400,000 people in Michigan are out of work. Help is supposed to be just a phone call away, but thousands are finding that help just isn't answering.

Mike Shinabery lost his job nine months ago.

"You're competing with thousands or more people to get a job because so many people don't have a job now," Shinabery said.

Shinabery, like many others, had to get an extension on his unemployment benefits when Congress approved one back in June, and then another extension two weeks ago.

"I started calling probably a couple of days right after I saw on TV that Congress passed, you know, the extension," Shinabery said.

Shinabery says that when he called, no one would answer.

"I called and called and called to the point where I'd hang up on one recording and hit redial," said Shinabery.

For two weeks, Shinabery got variations of the same message, some would refer him to the internet, others said to call later. Newschannel 3 went to one of the call centers to find out why.

It turns out the answer was rather simple.

"With the state of the economy at this moment, our call volume is extremely high," said Sharon Moffet-Massey of Unemployment and Labor.

Moffet-Massey says one call center in Grand Rapids has roughly 160 operators and there are three such call centers across the state, but since the most recent unemployment benefit extension was passed by Congress, they simply can't keep up.

"That also can generate more calls and questions concerning that," Moffet-Massey said.

The problem is one of numbers. There are more than 4.9 million workers in Michigan, close to 500,000 of them are currently unemployed, and there are fewer than 500 operators to answer the calls of those looking for benefits.

The calls centers will have answered more than two million calls by the end of 2008, and just as many will have gone unanswered.

If you are one of the thousands having trouble getting through, the Department of Unemployment and Labor says just be patient. The best time to call is in the late morning or late afternoon, and if you are eligible for the most recent unemployment benefit extension, you should be getting something in the mail by the middle of December.