Yesterday the state Employment Security Department (ESD) gave its weekly report on unemployment insurance claims.

ESD reported a total of 7,499 initial claims for unemployment insurance during the week ending August 7. Of this total, 5,420 initial claims were filed under the regular state unemployment insurance program; 1,615 claims were under the federal pandemic unemployment assistance program, which covers self-employed persons, independent contractors and part-time workers; and 464 claims were filed under the federal pandemic unemployment compensation program, which adds 13 weeks to the maximum term of benefits.

The number of new claims for regular unemployment insurance is an increase of 501 from the number of claims filed during the preceding week. ESD notes:

Layoffs in health care and social assistance and construction contributed to [the increase in] regular initial claims over the previous week.

The four-week moving average of regular initial claims is 4,989 down 17 from the preceding week. I estimate that the seasonally adjusted 4-week average of regular initial claims was 6,270, up from 6,051 the preceding week.

The number of initial claims under the two federal pandemic programs is an increase of 290 from the number filed during the preceding week.

ESD reports that continuing claims for unemployment insurance totaled 299,359 in the most recent week, which is 2,199 less than the number reported last week. This chart shows continuing filed by week, with claims under the federal PUA and PEUC programs shown separately from those under the regular state program.

ESD notes,

Federal pandemic benefits programs, including PUA and PEUC as well as the additional $300 per week, are set to expire [following] the week ending Sept. 4, 2021.

Continuing claims are thus on course to fall precipitously in mid-September. Since the last week in June, ESD reports, 246,500 distinct individuals filed at least one continuing claim under the federal programs. The Department estimates that 41,500 of these individuals will be eligible to file claims under the regular state program, while 205,000 will run out of benefits when the federal programs end. More details are available in the presentation of ESD’s Scott Michael to the August 11 meeting of the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Committee. (TVW video of the meeting is here. Michael’s presentation begins at 27:45.)

ESD’s August 12 UI claims press release is posted here.