Initial unemployment claims fall, continued claims rising

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation announced initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending May 2 were 32.9 percent lower than the previous week while continued claims rose 10.5 percent.

Initial claims totaled 28,550 for the week ending May 2, down 13,991 claims compared to last week’s total of 42,541. That figure represents the seventh highest weekly total in state history but is the lowest weekly initial claims total since the COVID-19-related business closures. There have been 440,761 initial claims filed in 2020.

Continued claims, which represent the current number of insured unemployed workers filing weekly for unemployment insurance benefits, rose to 303,573, an increase from the previous week of 28,723 claims. Continued claims, which lag initial claims, are likely to rise as Nevada continues to see elevated levels of initial claims.

The state’s insured unemployment rate, which is the ratio of continued claims in a week to the total number of jobs covered by the unemployment insurance system, was 22.0 percent in the week, the highest insured unemployment rate in state history. It should be noted that the calculation of the insured unemployment rate is different from that of the state’s total unemployment rate.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 3,169,000, a decline of 677,000 claims from the previous week. The national insured unemployment rate for the week ending April 25 was 15.5 percent, the highest rate in the history of the series. The national rate is reported with a one-week lag.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 20.5 million in April as the national unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent. Employment fell sharply in all major industry sectors, the BLS reported, with particularly heavy job losses in leisure and hospitality.

The unemployment rate increased by 10.3 percentage points in April, the largest over-the-month increase in the history of such statistics, which dates to January 1948. The 14.7 percent unemployment rate is also the highest in history.

Unemployment rates rose sharply among all major worker groups. The rate was 13.0% for adult men, 15.5% for adult women, 31.9% for teenagers, 14.2% for whites, 16.7% for blacks, 14.5% for Asians and 18.9% for Hispanics. The rates for all of these groups, with the exception of blacks, represent record highs for their respective series.

The number of unemployed persons who reported being on temporary layoff increased to 18.1 million in April. The number of permanent job losers increased by 544,000 to two million.

In April, the number of unemployed persons who were jobless fewer than five weeks increased by 10.7 million to 14.3 million, accounting for almost two-thirds of the unemployed. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more), at 939,000, declined by 225,000 over the month and represented 4.1 percent of the unemployed.

The number of persons not in the labor force who currently want a job, at 9.9 million, nearly doubled in April. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the past four weeks or were unavailable to take a job.

To file for unemployment in Nevada, use the online application at http://ui.nv.gov/css.html. People unable to file online may file via telephone by calling a UI Claims Call Center between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Southern UI Call Center can be reached at 702-486-0350; rural areas and out of state can call 888-890-8211. A hotline for general questions can be reached at 800-603-9671.

Claimants are highly encouraged to use the internet to file their UI claims, as it reserves the phone lines for individuals who are not able or do not have the necessary resources to file online. Online filing during nonpeak hours, such as early mornings, at night or weekends is also highly recommended.

To continue to receive benefits, claimants must file weekly. Independent workers, self-employed and gig workers are asked not to file on UInv as the agency is well into the process of implementing the new module necessary to start taking claims. DETR will be putting out communication on detr.nv.gov/coronavirus with details very soon.

Online filers are encouraged to participate in the online claim filing system announced last week. The system, now operational, is organized by last names and is aimed at providing quicker results for Nevadans seeking to gain access to unemployment benefits.

Claimants with last names starting with A-K are asked to file on Sundays. Last names L-R are asked to file on Mondays. Last names S-Z are asked to file on Tuesday. Wednesday through Saturday are open for all to initiate or renew claims online.