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SALT LAKE CITY — The latest weekly numbers from the Utah Department of Workforce Services show 4,961 new claims for unemployment benefits in Utah, up only slightly from 4,847 claims the week before.
The claims were filed between June 14 and June 20 and reflect the uneven road to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic even as Utah's economy fares better than many other states'.
During the week, there were 84,557 recurring weekly claims filed, and $23,868,989 was paid in traditional unemployment benefits. The additional $600 federal weekly stimulus paid out $45,756,510 in Utah, and $1,152,649 was paid for the federal extended benefits program.
A total of $71,011,859 was paid to claimants during the week. In addition, there were 1,629 new claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which focuses on the self-employed and those otherwise ineligible for traditional unemployment.
“While we have seen new claims seemingly stabilize at a very high number, we remain hopeful as continued claims for ongoing benefits have declined for seven consecutive weeks,” said Kevin Burt, Unemployment Insurance Division director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, in a news release. “This means people are returning to work faster than they are applying, we hope this continues as we work towards full economic recovery.”
The department said 7,039 individuals ended their unemployment insurance claim during the week, up from 5,666 the week before.
As self-identified by claimants, the industries with the highest percentage of claims this week were office and administrative support (11.7%), management occupations (10%), and production occupations (8.6%). Salt Lake County was responsible for 38.7% of the new unemployment claims.
