DETR: Regular Unemployment Insurance Claims Continue to Decline, PUA Initial Claims Rise

Finalized data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) show initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) totaled 10,347 for the week ending June 20, down 273 claims, or 2.6 percent, compared to last week’s total of 10,620. This is the eighth consecutive week of declines in regular initial claims.

Through the week ending June 20, there have been 538,892 initial claims filed in 2020, 517,240 of which have been filed since the week ending March 14.

Continued claims, which represent the current number of insured unemployed workers filing weekly for unemployment insurance benefits, fell to 294,649, a decline from the previous week of 17,360 claims, or 5.6 percent. This is the first report since April where the total number of continued claims has fallen below 300,000, indicating a return to work for some claimants following the re-opening of businesses across the state.

Nevada’s insured unemployment rate, which is the ratio of continued claims in a week to the total number of jobs covered by the unemployment insurance system (also known as covered employment), fell 1.2 percentage points to 21.4 percent. It should be noted that the calculation of the insured unemployment rate is different from that of the state’s total unemployment rate.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program for the self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers saw 29,440 initial claims filed in the week, an increase of 4,720 from last week’s total of 24,720. PUA continued claims totaled 114,776 in the week ending June 20, a decline of 11,183 from the previous week’s revised total of 125,949. Weekly PUA continued claims are now being reported by the week claimed. This better represents the number of claimants filing by week.

Nevada’s Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which provides up to 13 weeks of benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits, saw 7,817 claims filed in the week, an increase of 622 from a week ago.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted regular initial claims was 1,480,000 a decline of 60,000 claims from the previous week's revised level of 1,540,000. The national insured unemployment rate for the week ending June 13 was 13.4 percent, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points from the previous week’s revised rate. The national rate is reported with a one-week lag.

State level data from the U.S. Department of Labor can be found here [DOL Weekly Claims Report]. Please note that state data from the U.S. Department of Labor tends to be released more slowly than national data. View the state level unemployment insurance claims report for the week ending June 20 here [Weekly Report]. A dashboard for Nevada weekly claims can be viewed here [Weekly Dashboard]. A monthly claims dashboard with claims activity for May can be found here [Monthly Dashboard]. View weekly county claims trends here [Weekly by County]. Dashboards are interactive reports that allow you to dig deeper into the data.

To file for unemployment in the State of Nevada, please use the online application available 24/7 at http://ui.nv.gov/css.html. People unable to file online may file via telephone by calling a UI Claims Call Center between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday and Saturday between 8 a.m. and noon. Northern UI Call Center: (775) 684-0350; Southern UI Call Center: (702) 486-0350; Rural areas and Out-of-State: (888) 890-8211. Claimants are highly encouraged to use the internet to file their UI claims, as it is the fastest and most convenient way to file and reserves the phone lines for individuals who are not able or do not have the necessary resources to file online. Online filing during non-peak hours, such as early mornings, at night or weekends is also highly recommended. To continue to receive benefits, claimants must file weekly.

Online filers are encouraged to participate in the online claim filing system announced in April. The system, now operational, is organized by last names and is aimed at providing quicker results for Nevadans seeking to gain access to unemployment benefits: Claimants with last names starting with A-K are asked to file on Sundays. Last names L-R are asked to file on Mondays. Last names S-Z are asked to file on Tuesday. Wednesday through Saturday are open for all to initiate or renew claims online.

For Nevada workers who are self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers, Nevada’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA) is now available. For further information regarding the PUA program visit detr.nv.gov/pua# . Individuals will be able to file online at www.employnv.gov or call the PUA Call Center at (800) 603-9681 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday between 8 a.m. and noon.

Claimants are encouraged to visit http://ui.nv.gov/css.html and at detr.nv.gov/coronavirus to view important announcements and access essential resources. Online tutorial videos are also available in both English and Spanish and can be viewed on the Nevada Unemployment Insurance YouTube page.

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ABOUT THE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS BUREAU

The Research and Analysis Bureau is Nevada’s premier source for labor market information. A part of DETR, the Bureau is responsible for creating, analyzing, and reporting Nevada’s labor market information, in cooperation with the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).