OLYMPIA – During the week of November 1–7, Washingtonians filed 25,201 initial regular unemployment claims. This is an increase of 71.7 percent compared to last week. Total claims for all unemployment benefit categories during the week numbered 429,063, down 2.1 percent from last week. Employment Security Department collects and publishes this data.
Initial regular claims applications remain at elevated levels and are 223 percent above last year’s weekly new claims applications.
This is the largest weekly increase in initial regular claims since the week of Mar. 21.
Initial regular claims last hovered around 25,000 initial claims during the week ending Aug. 1.
Initial regular claims typically increase this time of year due to seasonal layoffs, primarily in the agriculture and construction industries.
The following types of claims decreased over the week:
- Initial claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).
- Continued claims for regular benefits.
- Initial claims for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation increased over the week.
In the week ending November 7, ESD paid out over $146.5 million for 291,628 individual claims. Since the crisis began in March, ESD has paid more than $12.2 billion in benefits to over a million Washingtonians.
For more information on current claimants and claims processing progress, please go to the benefits data dashboard on the ESD website.
Note: Detailed claims data and charts by county, industry and occupation will be included in this release on a monthly basis. You can find detailed claims data anytime on the ESD website.
For complete information of weekly initial claims by industry sector and county for the year to date, also check the weekly unemployment initial claims charts compiled by ESD’s Labor Market & Economic Analysis division. For more information about specific counties, contact one of ESD’s regional local economists.
ESD will send out the next weekly new claims press release on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
