New claims for regular unemployment benefits see slight increase

Jul 1, 2021
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Written by wpengine
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The Employment Security Department (ESD) has reported 7,544 initial regular employment claims, a 9.5% increase from the prior week, and a total of 374,810 total claims for all unemployment benefit categories, down 2.3% percent from the prior week. According to last week’s press release from the ESD:

  • Initial regular claims applications are now 75 percent below weekly new claims applications during the same period last year during the pandemic.
  • The 4-week moving average for initial claims remains elevated at 8,347 (as compared to the 4-week moving average of initial claims pre-pandemic of 6,071 initial claims) and remains at similar levels of initial claims filed during the Great Recession.
  • Initial claims applications for regular benefits and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) increased slightly over the week.
  • Initial claims applications for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and continued/ongoing claims for all benefits decreased over the week.
  • Increases in layoffs in Accommodation and Food Services and Educational Services contributed to the increase in regular initial claims last week.