Pandemic Still Disrupting Utah Unemployment
Aug 27, 2020, 5:21 PM
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah’s unemployment figures continue to drop, but the number of new unemployment claims has ticked up.
The Utah Department of Workforce Services reported the number of people who did not request benefits for two consecutive weeks as of August 15, 2020 was 7,537 which is 125 more than the previous week.
“For two consecutive weeks we have seen more than 7,000 people stop requesting the unemployment benefit; a positive sign that many have reconnected into the workforce,” said Kevin Burt, Unemployment Insurance Division director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services. “However, we also continue to see over 5,000 new claims a week, indicating that COVID-19 continues to be disruptive and the need for this critical benefit remains.”
The number of new claims for last week was 5,628 which is an increase of 307 claims from two weeks ago.
The state of Utah has set up a website designed to help people who have lost their job specifically due to the pandemic.