Unemployment insurance claims fell again in Washington, reports the state Employment Security Department.
During the week of July 4 – July 10, there were 5,488 initial regular unemployment claims (down 7.4 percent from the prior week) and 340,204 total claims for all unemployment benefit categories (down 0.9 percent from the prior week) filed by Washingtonians, according to the Employment Security Department (ESD).
- Initial regular claims applications are now 86 percent below weekly new claims applications during the same period last year during the pandemic.
- The 4-week moving average for initial claims is at 6,615 (as compared to the 4-week moving average of initial claims pre-pandemic of 6,071 initial claims). That level represents the lowest levels of initial claims for regular benefits since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, and the fifth consecutive week initial claims have reached a new pandemic low.
- Initial claims applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and continued/ongoing claims for all benefits decreased over the week.
- Initial claims applications for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) increased slightly over the week.
- Decreases in layoffs in Educational Services and Construction contributed to the decrease in regular initial claims last week.
As we wrote earlier, claims nationally also declined.
Good.
