Initial Unemployment Claims Drop for 2nd Straight Week

Initial unemployment claims in Washington dropped for a second straight week and are now one-sixth of their peak in late March.

The State Employment Security Department says 31,224 Washingtonians applied for benefits for the first time last week, though total claims were 774,959.

Chelan County also saw a decline in first-time claims with 288. Douglas County had 129, Grant had 300, and Okanogan was 142.

ESD Commissioner Suzi LeVine said, "The dramatic decline in initial claims this week is a strong signal that the additional steps we are taking to address imposter fraud are working."

In a press release: the Employment Security Department said:

Since the week ending March 7 when COVID-19 job losses began:

• A total of 2,045,863 initial claims have been filed during the pandemic (1,280,711 regular unemployment insurance, 409,566 PUA and 355,523 PEUC)
• A total of 1,152,516 distinct individuals have filed for unemployment benefits
• ESD has paid out over $4.9 billion in benefits
• 826,123 individuals who have filed an initial claim have been paid