New Jobless Claims In Utah Rose Slightly To 4,961 Last Week

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The number of Utahns who filed new jobless claims last week rose slightly, according to the latest report from the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

The latest unemployment insurance claims report shows that 4,961 residents applied for new benefits for the week of June 14 – 20. That’s an increase of 114 from the week before.

Also for the week ending June 20, 1,692 Utahns applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which is offered to those who wouldn’t normally qualify for unemployment. That number is down by 85 claimants from the week prior.

“While we have seen new claims seemingly stabilize at a very high number, we remain hopeful as continued claims for ongoing benefits have declined for seven consecutive weeks,” said Kevin Burt, Unemployment Insurance Division director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services. “This means people are returning to work faster than they are applying, we hope this continues as we work towards full economic recovery.”

The Labor Department reports that 1.48 million workers across the United States filed for new unemployment benefits last week. While that number is still high, it’s fewer than the week before and it represents the 12th straight week of declining unemployment claims.