There were 82,435 new claims for unemployment benefits in Washington state last week, a 42% decline from the week prior. Total claims for unemployment benefits in the state now exceed 605,000 as layoffs and business closures reverberate through the retail, service, and startup worlds.
Though new jobless claims have been declining, Washington Employment Security Commissioner Suzi LeVine warned the numbers represent “the calm before the storm.” That because they cover the week ending Saturday, April 18, right before the state began accepting applications for expanded unemployment benefits authorized by Congress.
- During the first 36 hours of the expanded unemployment program, about 181,000 initial jobless claims were filed, state officials said Monday. That exceeds the record-setting week in March which saw an 843% spike in applications over the previous week.
- Nationwide, 4.4 million Americans filed claims for unemployment benefits last week.
- Washington state’s highest job losses were in the retail and healthcare and social assistance fields. The professional, scientific, and technical services industries saw 2,459 new jobless claims while the information field had 798 first-time filings for unemployment benefits last week.
