Unemployment claims fall slightly in Nevada

Finalized data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation shows initial claims for unemployment insurance totaled 10,748 for the week ending June 6, down 589 claims, or 5.2 percent, compared to the previous week’s total of 11,337. This is the sixth consecutive week of declines in regular initial claims.

Through the week ending June 6, there have been 517,925 initial claims filed in 2020, 496,273 of which have come in the past 13 weeks.

Continued claims, which represent the current number of insured unemployed workers filing weekly for unemployment insurance benefits, fell to 334,182. This is a slight decline of 861 claims from the previous week, or 0.3 percent. 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, saw little change at 24.2 percent in the week, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points.

It should be noted that the calculation of the insured unemployment rate is different from that of the state’s total unemployment rate.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for the self-employed, 1099 contract workers and gig workers saw 16,201 initial claims filed in the week, a decline from last week’s total of 18,700. A total of 224,574 PUA continued claims were filed in the week, though it should be noted that this figure includes multiple weeks of claims. Nevada’s Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which provides up to 13 weeks of benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits, saw 6,681 claims filed in the week.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted regular initial claims was 1,542,000, a decline of 355,000 claims from the previous week’s revised level of 1,877,000. The national insured unemployment rate for the week ending May 30 was 14.4 percent, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from the previous week. The national rate is reported with a one-week lag.

People filing for unemployment in Nevada should 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 and between 8 a.m. and noon Saturday. The Southern UI Call Center is at 702-486-0350, and the rural areas and out-of-state center is at 888-890-8211.

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.

Online filers are encouraged to participate in the online claim filing system announced in April. The system, now operational, is organized by last names and is aimed at providing quicker results. Claimants with last names starting with A-K are asked to file Sundays. Last names L-R are asked to file Mondays. Last names S-Z are asked to file Tuesdays. Wednesday through Saturday are open for all to initiate or renew claims online.

For further information regarding the PUA program visit detr.nv.gov/pua#. Individuals will be able to file online at www.employnv.gov or call the PUA Call Center at 800-603-9681 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 8 a.m. and noon Saturday.