Maine unemployment claims take another step toward normalcy

(The Center Square) – New applications for unemployment benefits in Maine receded slightly last week, as the state’s pandemic-ravaged economy continues to show signs of recovery.

At least 1,955 new claims were filed for the week that ended Feb. 13 – down by 217 from the previous week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly report.

Another 454 new claims were filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federally backed program that covers workers ineligible for regular unemployment benefits. That’s an increase of 189 claims from the previous week.

Meanwhile, 16,705 continuing claims for state unemployment benefits – which are considered a barometer of the unemployment situation – were filed in the week ending Feb. 6, a decline of 1,501 over the previous week.

The state has distributed about $1.86 billion in jobless benefits to more than 235,200 jobless workers during the pandemic, according to the state employment agency.

The state’s jobless rate held steady at about 5% in December, according to figures released by the Maine Department of Labor.

Nationally, about 861,000 new jobless claims were filed last week, an increase of about 13,000 claims from the previous week, according to the Labor Department.

Continuing claims dropped by 64,000 to about 4.49 million nationally for the week that ended Feb. 6 the labor department said.

Despite the improving labor market, more than 18.3 million Americans are still receiving state or federal unemployment benefits in the week ending Jan. 30.

The U.S. unemployment rate is currently 6.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, down from a peak of 14.8% in March 2020.

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