Finalized initial claims data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), initial claims for unemployment insurance totaled 71,942 regular initial claims for the week ending March 28, down 20,356 claims, or 22.1 percent compared to last week’s total of 92,298. While a decline from the previous week, this is the second highest weekly total number of initial claims in state history.
For the entire year of 2019, the State of Nevada had a total of 119,232 weekly initial claims. In the last three weeks alone, 170,596 initial claims have been filed. Continued or weekly claims, which move slightly behind initial claims, are beginning to catch up to initial claims with a total of 58,798 in the week. This is an increase of 38,796 claims, or 196.6 percent, from the previous week. Continued claims are expected to increase considerably over the coming weeks.
Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims rose to 6,648,000, an increase of 3,341,000 from the previous week's revised level for the week ending March 28. This is the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the history of the series. The previous high was in the previous week of 3,307,000. Similar to the nation, initial claims in Nevada rose to unprecedented levels in the week due to the temporary closure of business functions throughout the state.
MORE CORONAVIRUS-RELATED STORIES
Each Thursday, the United States Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration (DETR) releases preliminary unemployment insurance weekly claims data for the prior week. Following this release, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation may release its finalized claims data for the same period. Currently, data is available through March 28, 2020. Claims are split into “initial claims,” which correspond to recent layoffs, and “continued claims” which are the regular process of requesting benefits for a particular week. Claimants will typically have a single initial claim, followed by a period of weekly/continued claims. The finalized claims number can differ from the preliminary claims number, as the finalized number does not include interstate claims.
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. Northern UI Call Center: (775) 684-0350; Southern UI Call Center: (702) 486-0350; Rural areas & 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.
