Tagunemployment

U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims rise to 229,000

By James McAllister
In Federal
May 30, 2023 at 10:19 AM

New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits rose 4,000 for the week ending May 20 to a seasonally adjusted 229,000. The previous week’s figure was revised down by 17,000 to 225,000. The four-week moving average as of May 20 was unchanged from the previous week’s unrevised number at 231,750.

The number of continuing unemployment insurance claims, which refers to the number of unemployed workers who filed for benefits at least two weeks ago and are actively receiving unemployment benefits, fell 5,000 from the previous week’s unrevised number to a seasonally adjusted 1.794 million for the week ending May 13. Reporting for continuing claims lags one week.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims fall to 242,000

By James McAllister
In Federal
May 22, 2023 at 10:46 PM

New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits fell 22,000 for the week ending May 13 to a seasonally adjusted 242,000. The previous week’s figure was unrevised at 264,000. The four-week moving average as of May 13 fell to 244,250 from an unrevised 245,250 as of the week ending May 6.

The number of continuing unemployment insurance claims, which refers to the number of unemployed workers who filed for benefits at least two weeks ago and are actively receiving unemployment benefits, fell 8,000 from the previous week’s revised number to a seasonally adjusted 1.799 million for the week ending May 6. Reporting for continuing claims lags one week.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



Louisiana House passes unemployment insurance indexing bill

By James McAllister
In State
May 16, 2023 at 11:59 AM

The Louisiana House of Representatives on May 10 passed a bill that would index the length of unemployment insurance benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. House Bill 340 would reduce the maximum number of benefit weeks to 12 when the unemployment rate is at or below 5%. The bill also proposes capping the maximum benefit length at 20 weeks when the unemployment rate is at or above 8.5%.

Louisiana’s current maximum benefit length is 26 weeks, and the state’s unemployment rate as of March was 3.6%, according to data from the St. Louis Fed. The maximum weekly benefit would fall by 14 weeks (from 26 weeks to 12 weeks) if the bill becomes law and the unemployment rate remains stable.

The bill now advances to the state Senate for consideration.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims rise to 242,000

By James McAllister
In Federal
May 8, 2023 at 11:43 AM

New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits rose 13,000 for the week ending April 29 to a seasonally adjusted 242,000. The previous week’s figure was revised down from 230,000 to 229,000. The four-week moving average as of April 29 rose to 239,250 from a revised 235,750 as of the week ending April 22.

The number of continuing unemployment insurance claims, which refers to the number of unemployed workers who filed for benefits at least two weeks ago and are actively receiving unemployment benefits, fell 38,000 from the previous week’s revised number to a seasonally adjusted 1.805 million for the week ending April 22. Reporting for continuing claims lags one week.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



Wisconsin Assembly passes unemployment insurance indexing bill

By James McAllister
In State
May 2, 2023 at 9:51 AM

Wisconsin lawmakers on April 25 passed several bills related to unemployment insurance, including one that would index the length of unemployment insurance benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. Assembly Bill 153 would reduce the maximum number of benefit weeks to 14 during times when the unemployment rate is at or below 3.5%. The bill also proposes capping the maximum benefit length at 26 weeks during times when the unemployment rate is more than 9%.

Wisconsin’s current maximum benefit length is 26 weeks, and the state’s unemployment rate in February was 2.7%, according to preliminary data from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). The maximum weekly benefit would fall by 12 weeks (from 26 weeks to 14 weeks) if the bill becomes law and the unemployment rate remains stable.

The other bills in the package include provisions that propose:

  • Broadening the definition of employment misconduct that would disqualify a fired person from claiming unemployment benefits.
  • Requiring the DWD to create a process through which employers can disclose any known information about unemployment claimants that might disqualify them from benefits eligibility.
  • Changing language referring to unemployment insurance to read reemployment assistance in all relevant state statutes and requiring drug testing for certain claimants.
  • Requiring claimants to prove their identities when filing initial unemployment insurance claims.

The package of bills now advances to the state Senate for consideration. The legislation is similar to a package that Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) vetoed in the previous legislative session.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims rise to 245,000

By James McAllister
In Federal
April 25, 2023 at 11:34 AM

New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits rose 5,000 for the week ending April 15 to a seasonally adjusted 245,000. The previous week’s figure was revised up from 239,000 to 240,000. The four-week moving average as of April 15 fell to 239,750 from a revised 240,250 as of the week ending April 8.

The number of continuing unemployment insurance claims, which refers to the number of unemployed workers who filed for benefits at least two weeks ago and are actively receiving unemployment benefits, rose 61,000 from the previous week’s revised number to a seasonally adjusted 1.865 million for the week ending April 8. Reporting for continuing claims lags one week.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



Wisconsin introduces unemployment insurance indexing bill

By James McAllister
In State
April 18, 2023 at 10:18 AM

Wisconsin lawmakers on April 7 introduced several bills related to unemployment insurance, including one that would index the length of unemployment insurance benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. Assembly Bill 153 would reduce the maximum number of benefit weeks to 14 during times when the unemployment rate is at or below 3.5%. The bill also proposes capping the maximum benefit length at 26 weeks during times when the unemployment rate is more than 9%.

Wisconsin’s current maximum benefit length is 26 weeks, and the state’s unemployment rate in February was 2.7%, according to preliminary data from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD). The maximum weekly benefit would fall by 12 weeks (from 26 weeks to 14 weeks) if the bill becomes law and the unemployment rate remains stable.

The other bills in the package include provisions that propose:

  • Broadening the definition of employment misconduct that would disqualify a fired person from claiming unemployment benefits.
  • Requiring the DWD to create a process through which employers can disclose any known information about unemployment claimants that might disqualify them from benefits eligibility.
  • Changing language referring to unemployment insurance to read reemployment assistance in all relevant state statutes and requiring drug testing for certain claimants.
  • Requiring claimants to prove their identities when filing initial unemployment insurance claims.

The legislation is similar to a package of bills that Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) vetoed in the previous legislative session.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



Weekly unemployment insurance claims top 200,000 for first time in nine weeks

By James McAllister
In Federal, State
April 11, 2023 at 2:43 PM

Following a change in seasonal adjustment calculations, the U.S. Department of Labor on April 6 revised its figure for new applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits for the week ending March 25 (the week before the changes were announced) from 198,000 to 246,000—an increase of about 24%. The four-week moving average as of March 25 was also revised up from 198,250 to 242,000

For the week ending April 1, new applications came in at a seasonally adjusted 228,000 and the four-week moving average as of April 1 fell to 237,750 from the previous week’s revised figure.

The number of continuing unemployment insurance claims, which refers to the number of unemployed workers who filed for benefits at least two weeks ago and are actively receiving unemployment benefits, rose 6,000 from the previous week’s revised number to a seasonally adjusted 1.823 million for the week ending March 25. The figure for the previous week ending March 18 was revised up 128,000 from 1,689,000 to 1,817,000 following the change in seasonal adjustments. Reporting for continuing claims lags one week.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims rise to 198,000

By James McAllister
In Federal
April 5, 2023 at 11:00 AM

New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits rose 7,000 for the week ending March 25 to a seasonally adjusted 198,000. The previous week’s figure was unrevised at 191,000. The four-week moving average as of March 25 rose to 198,250 from an unrevised 196,250 as of the week ending March 18.

The number of continuing unemployment insurance claims, which refers to the number of unemployed workers who filed for benefits at least two weeks ago and are actively receiving unemployment benefits, rose 4,000 from the previous week’s revised number to a seasonally adjusted 1.689 million for the week ending March 18. Reporting for continuing claims lags one week.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading:



U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims fall to 191,000

By James McAllister
In Federal
March 28, 2023 at 8:54 PM

New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits fell 1,000 for the week ending March 18 to a seasonally adjusted 191,000. The previous week’s figure was unrevised at 192,000. The four-week moving average as of March 18 fell to 196,250 from an unrevised 196,500 as of the week ending March 11.

The number of continuing unemployment insurance claims, which refers to the number of unemployed workers who filed for benefits at least two weeks ago and are actively receiving unemployment benefits, rose 14,000 from the previous week’s revised number to a seasonally adjusted 1.694 million for the week ending March 11. Reporting for continuing claims lags one week.

Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.

Additional reading: