Nevada's unemployment insurance claims decline for third straight week

CARSON CITY — Finalized data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation show initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) totaled 8,032 for the week ending August 29, down 826 claims, or 9.3 percent, compared to last week’s total of 8,858 claims. This is the fewest initial claims filed since the week ending March 14. Through the week ending August 29, there have been 670,400 initial claims filed in 2020, 662,368 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 for the third straight week to 221,599, a decline of 6,604 claims, or 2.9 percent, from the previous week’s total of 228,203. This is the fewest continued claims since the report week ending April 11 when there were 189,007 claims filed.

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 by 0.4 percentage points to 16.0 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, which provides up to 46 weeks of benefits for the self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers saw 10,411 initial claims filed in the week ending August 29, a decrease of 460, or 4.2 percent, from last week’s total of 10,871. This is the fewest PUA initial claims filed in a week since the start of the program. Through the week ending August 29, 431,347 PUA initial claims have been filed.

PUA continued claims totaled 104,592 in the week ending August 29, a decline of 11,878 from the previous week’s revised total of 116,470. Weekly PUA continued claims are now reported by the benefit week claimed. This follows the reporting procedure for regular continued claims and allows us to understand the number of unemployed workers filing weekly for PUA benefits.

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 23,760 claims filed in the week, an increase of 2,125 claims from a week ago.

Nevada’s State Extended Benefit (SEB) program, which provides up to 20 weeks of benefits to individuals who have exhausted both their regular unemployment benefits and PEUC program benefits, saw 2,889 claims filed in the week, an increase of 551 claims from a week ago.

Nationally, the advance figure for unadjusted regular initial claims was 833,352 an increase of 7,591 claims from the previous week. The national insured unemployment rate for the week ending August 22 was 9.0 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. 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 August 29 here. A dashboard for Nevada weekly claims can be viewed here. A page for Nevada weekly claims characteristics by program can be viewed here. A monthly claims dashboard can be found here and a monthly claims demographic page can be found here. View weekly county claims trends here. 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.

DETR is aware of the unemployment fraud that is plaguing the state and is actively working with law enforcement entities and the Department of Labor to detect, prevent and address unemployment fraud. Employers and individuals who believe they have been a victim of unemployment fraud, can file a report with the agency by visiting www.detr.nv.gov and selecting the Fraud Reporting Form on the left under “Quick links.” Once a report is filed with the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), nothing else is required by the reporting party. DETR will flag the account so payments are not issued. If needed, the Department may reach out for additional information. To view what additional steps individuals and employers can take should they believe a fraudulent claim has been filed, review DETR’s fraud flyer located on the Bulletin Board at www.detr.nv.gov.

For Nevada workers who are self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers, Nevada’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA) is 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.