As US Department of Labor reports 896,000 combined unemployment claims last week, states move to impose new restrictions
The US Department of Labor reported historically high job losses for the 55th week in a row as another 744,000 people filed first-time state unemployment claims last week, an increase of 16,000 from the week prior. The report also showed an additional 152,000 claims filed under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.
The nearly 900,000 combined claims between state and federal programs are nearly four times the pre-pandemic average and demonstrate the reality of economic conditions for millions of workers across the United States.
Mother and daughter prepare to wash dishes at an apartment complex without water, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Continuing claims for the week were 38,642, a decrease of 1,015 (2.56%). Author: Mario Rossi, The Associated Press Published: 4:39 PM CDT April 8, 2021 Updated: 5:09 PM CDT April 8, 2021
IOWA, USA 6,770 initial unemployment claims were filed last week in Iowa, an increase of 2,168 (47.11%) from the previous week.
5,877 initial claims for the week of March 28-April 3 were by people who work and live in Iowa, and 893 were by individuals who work in Iowa but live outside the state. For the week ending April, 2021, nearly 50.9% of claimants indicated their claims were not COVID-19 related, which is a decrease from 52.0% the previous week, Iowa Workforce Development said in a release.
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April 8, 2021 12:03 PM Lisa Rowan - Forbes Advisor
Posted:
Updated:
April 8, 2021 6:20 PM
Consumer confidence continues to tick upward, but there’s still a gap between outlook and reality for many Americans.
This week, the Forbes Advisor-Ipsos Consumer Confidence Weekly Tracker saw an all-time high for its expectations index, which measures consumers’ outlook on their personal financial situation, community economy and employment. It reached 70.6 (out of 100) the previous record of 69.1 occurred in February 2018.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos, measures consumer sentiment over time.
The expectations index is currently 9.2 points higher than its historical average, indicating that Americans are feeling renewed confidence as vaccination efforts continue and local economies reopen.
UpdatedThu, Apr 8, 2021 at 2:47 pm ET
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Pennsylvania will launch a new unemployment compensation claims system this spring, the Department of Labor & Industry announced Thursday. (Shutterstock)
HARRISBURG, PA Pennsylvania will launch a new unemployment compensation claims system this spring, the Department of Labor & Industry announced this week.
Officials expect residents will have a much quicker and easier time filling out claims once the new system launches on June 8.
The new system will replace a 40-year-old mainframe legacy system, the department said.
Subscribe The new system will be easy to use, provide access to important information, and streamline the unemployment claim filing process for workers, employers, unemployment program staff, and third-party administrators, said Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier. The pandemic stressed an already-antiquated IT platform and we look forward to improving the process so that out-of-work Pennsylvanian
Labor & Industryâs antiquated Unemployment Compensation computer system has two months to live.
The state agency will launch its new system on June 8, acting secretary Jennifer Berrier announced at a virtual media briefing on Thursday afternoon.
âWe have been working with an archaic mainframe that has been outdated for years,â she said of the four-decade-old relic. âItâs amazing that it was able to handle the capacity it has had to deal with during the pandemic.â
Berrier said the replacement system should be faster and more efficient, simplifying the filing process for claimants while easing the burdens of department employees â who, despite the addition of hundreds of representatives, have been under siege. They have been handling waves of claims and complaints from people who have lost jobs, had their hours reduced and/or been unable to contact L&I representatives.