Weekly Unemployment Claims Jump 70% as Furloughs Start, School Year Ends

More than 47,000 New Jersey workers filed initial unemployment claims during the week ending July 4, a 70% jump from the prior week, with two employee groups – furloughed state workers and those laid off when the school year ended in June – making up much of the spike.

Last week’s initial claim total is the highest number of single-week applicants the Department of Labor and Workforce Development has recorded in eight weeks. During the week ending May 9, nearly 70,000 initial claims were filed. 

The department sent $843 million into the hands of claimants during a week that was shortened because of the July 4 holiday. Total payments reaching New Jersey workers topped $9.9 billion since mid-March. 

“The number of people in need is staggering. We’ve had 1.35 million applicants since mid March; 1.2 million of them have met the earnings requirements to receive benefits, with 96% of them having received payment. We won’t let up until every claim has received a determination, every question has been answered and every claimant has been served,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo.

Also last week, the Labor Department began offering 20 weeks of extended unemployment to New Jersey workers who have exhausted their state and federal jobless benefits, bringing to 59 the maximum number of weeks of benefits eligible claimants may receive. Claimants are automatically enrolled into extended benefits as their federal extension ends. They do not need to contact an agent or reapply.

The weekly totals of new unemployment claims are:  

Eligible claimants have received $3 billion in state unemployment payments since mid-March and $6.9 billion in federal benefits through the CARES Act.

Below is the weekly breakdown of  payments (in millions): 

NA: Benefit not applicable during the indicated weeks. 

FPUC, PUA and PEUC are federal programs authorized by Congress under the CARES Act. FPUC provides an additional $600 weekly benefit to anyone collecting unemployment through July 25. PUA provides benefits to newly eligible populations such as self-employed workers, independent contractors and those who do not have enough recent earnings to qualify for regular unemployment benefits, as well as for newly qualifying reasons such as being unable to work because due to caring for others or for their own COVID-19 illness. Those benefits expire at the end of the year, with a maximum of 46 weeks earned, including extended benefits. PEUC provides 13 weeks of federal benefits for those who have exhausted 26 weeks of state unemployment. 

*This represents the final number for the week ended July 4. The number listed for NJ by US Department of Labor – 46,684 – is based on advanced reporting. 

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