An additional 6,187 people filed for unemployment benefits in the week ending Aug. 8, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said Thursday, a drop of 951 from the previous week.
In the same period, 9,048 self-employed and gig workers in Colorado applied for state-level Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which is a federal benefit for workers traditionally not eligible for state-level unemployment. That is an increase of 1,463 from the week before.
That specific assistance at the federal level, along with a $600 per week additional benefit for all claims, expired Aug. 1. Reports from Washington, D.C., indicate that talks between Democrats, the White House and portions of the Republican legislative base have faltered several times in the past several days.
In lieu of a congressional deal, President Donald Trump signed executive orders last week that, among other actions, divert $40 billion in federal disaster funding to give most unemployment claimants $400 per week through the end of December, with the first $100 being paid by the state.
It is unclear from a legal standpoint if he has the power to unilaterally move funds that were appropriated by Congress.
In a call with reporters Thursday morning, state Labor Department spokeswoman Cher Haavind said the department “doesn’t have anything substantive” on how Colorado might implement the order within its current range of benefits, as Gov. Jared Polis must apply for the funds, and a response on the application could take weeks.
The U.S. Department of Labor released guidance on the program Wednesday night.
The number of regular continuing claims was at 197,922 Coloradans in the week ending Aug. 1, breaking a pattern in which that number bounced between 220,000 and 265,000 every other week. The number of continued claims overall was about 281,000, which includes assistance from federal sources.
Colorado distributed $70.3 million in regular unemployment-insurance payments in the week, a significant drop from $85 million the previous week.
Nationwide, the U.S. Labor Department said 963,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits, a decrease of 228,000 from the previous week and the first time in months that fewer than 1 million Americans filed initial claims in months.
© 2020 BizWest Media LLC
"last" - Google News
August 14, 2020 at 03:50AM
https://ift.tt/2CoqQ20
6,187 more Coloradans filed for unemployment last week - Loveland Reporter-Herald
"last" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2rbmsh7
https://ift.tt/2Wq6qvt
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "6,187 more Coloradans filed for unemployment last week - Loveland Reporter-Herald"
Post a Comment