NC has modest increase in UI claims NC has modest increase in UI claims, in contrast to national trends

North Carolina had a slight increase in initial unemployment insurance claims last week, the first increase since the expiration of two key federal pandemic relief programs September 4.

With no COVID-19 pandemic unemployment insurance programs currently available for North Carolinians, the United States Department of Labor reported Thursday that the state had 4,236 new regular state claims for the week that ended October 9.

There were 3,687 revised complaints for the week that ended October 2, as well as 3,557 for the week that ended September 25 and 7,110 complaints for the week that ended September 18.

The state was 20th in the country in the number of jobless claims, down one spot from last week.

North Carolinians currently determined to be eligible for regular state unemployment insurance benefits can benefit from up to 13 weeks – the lowest level offered by any state – which provides a maximum weekly benefit of $ 350, although the average requester receives about $ 235.

By comparison, the state’s highest weekly total for pandemic-related claims was 172,745 for the week that ended. March 28, 2020.

From September 5, nearly 178,000 unemployed people in North Carolina no longer had $ 300 into weekly federal benefits to count on to pay their bills or feed their households.

we Labor has listed 29,274 North Carolina residents receiving regular state allowances in the October 2.

After the 13 weeks of regular state benefits have elapsed, NC claimants must wait another 39 weeks before they can re-file.

The $ 300 weekly, extended federal unemployment insurance payments kept some potential employees on the sidelines, earning more from not working than from minimum-wage or low-wage jobs.

Economists say September’s state and county unemployment reports should provide some insight into whether the expiration of the two federal programs will lead to more hiring and more people re-entering the workforce.

“One thing to remember is that although all enhanced federal benefits have expired, this expiration applies to weeks of benefits beginning after the week ending on September 4,” noted John Quinterno, principal with South by Nord Strategies Ltd., a Chapel Hill research firm specializing in economic and social policy.

“People with eligible claims for previous weeks are still eligible for benefits for those weeks.

“This could include people who lost their jobs at the very end of August, or those whose previous claims are pending or under administrative review for whatever reason,” Quinterno said.

The details

Extensive federal programs included: Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC); unemployment assistance in the event of a pandemic (PUA); federal unemployment benefit in the event of a pandemic (FPUC); and mixed unemployment benefit (MEUC).

From September 7, North Carolina has received $ 13.27 billion, with regular allocations from the State of $ 2.03 billion, while federal and state extended benefits are at $ 11.24 billion.

By far the most important factor in UI benefit payments has been the FPUC program at $ 7.31 billion. That’s about 55%. 100% of all UI benefit payments.

Also from September 7, there were 1.54 million individual complaints filed in North Carolina during the pandemic, the DES determined that just over one million claimants were eligible for state or federal unemployment insurance benefits.

Federal guidelines require a separate application for each unemployment program.

Overall, there had been at least 3.83 million state and federal claims filed as of September 7.

Nationally

National unemployment insurance claims fell from 36,000 to 293,000 for the week that ended October 9.

The October 9 count represents the lowest number of weekly claims for the pandemic.

There were 3.65 million people nationwide with an active claim as of September 25, down 12% from September 18 and down 67.5% compared to 11.25 million at September 4.

About 2.66 million workers received state benefits and 989,538 received federal benefits, mostly extended benefits that ended for North Carolinians.

Marc Hamrick, chief economist analyst for Bankrate.com, said Thursday that “we are seeing new and welcome signs of improvement in the labor market. New jobless claims have fallen more than expected.”

“At a time when record numbers of workers are leaving their jobs, we remember that some businesses are still failing as the pandemic takes its toll, resulting in unexpected job losses.

“With so many jobs available and opportunities to work remotely at least part of the time, the good news is that workers have a reasonable chance of improving their employment situation, including better wages and working conditions. “said Hamrick. “Obviously, that’s what a lot of people want.”

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