Press Release
April 2, 2020
Utah’s Unemployment Insurance Claims Report (March 22-28)
SALT LAKE CITY (April 2, 2020) — The number of new claims filed for unemployment benefits in Utah was 28,560 for the week of March 22 to March 28, 2020. Part of the Unemployment Insurance system is filing a weekly claim, there were 24,424 weekly claims filed during that same week. A total of $3,972,938 was paid in benefits. Payments to individuals who filed during the week of March 15 to March 21 began going out on March 31. Those numbers will be reflected in next week’s report.
|
Utah’s Unemployment Insurance Claims March 22- March 28 |
||||||
|
Total New Claims |
% Change (+/-) |
Total Weekly Claims |
% Change (+/-) |
Benefits Paid |
% Change (+/-) |
|
|
03/22/20 to 03/28/20 |
28,560 |
24,424 |
$3,972,938 |
|||
|
Week over Week |
19,591 |
46% |
11,321 |
116% |
$3,697,473 |
8% |
|
Average Weekly Claims 2019 |
1,131 |
2425% |
8,856 |
176% |
$2,876,354 |
38% |
“We are approaching more new claims in the last two weeks than the number of claims filed in all of 2019,” said Kevin Burt, Unemployment Insurance Division director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services. “The Unemployment Insurance Division staff continue to work diligently to meet this unprecedented volume. Strategies continue to be implemented to respond to this need, as well as the new benefits being described in the CARES Act, but with this historic demand there will be some disruption in our normal service levels.”
The number of individuals who ended their unemployment insurance claim on March 21, 2020 was 1,113. A total of 1,508 ended their claim during the previous week. As the state continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, this number will help demonstrate the number of individuals no longer accessing unemployment benefits.
The three industries that saw the highest percentage of claims this week, as self-identified by the claimant at the time of their filing, were Food Preparation and Serving (16.6%), Office and Administrative Support (12.03%) and Management (9.46%).
The five counties in Utah that had the highest number of individuals file new unemployment insurance claims were Salt Lake (41.83%), Utah (14.63%), Davis (9.17%), Weber (6.81%) and Washington (6.06%).
If an individual's employment has been impacted by COVID-19 they should visit jobs.utah.gov/covid19. There they will find regularly updated FAQs including on the impact of the federal stimulus known as the CARES Act. Workshops are also available twice daily providing information on how to apply for unemployment benefits, what temporary financial assistance may be available and tips for finding a new job. The page also includes an FAQ for employers with questions regarding unemployment insurance.
Individuals should apply online and take the time to complete their application fully. The division will contact the claimant if there is a need for additional information to process your claim; there is not a need for the claimant to contact the division.
###