Ohio New Unemployment Claims Jump to 120,446
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services received 120,446 new unemployment claims for the week ended Feb. 27, up about 19,000 from the week before.
However, the agency said 21,000 initial claims have been flagged for potential fraud. If potentially fraudulent claims aren’t counted, the number of new claims are at their highest level since late April 2020.
Those who believe their identity has been used to file fraudulent unemployment claims can call 833 658 0394 or use the “Report Identity Theft” button at Unemployment.Ohio.gov.
In addition, there were 327,382 continued claims filed that week and 266,656 filings for pandemic unemployment assistance.
Over the past 50 weeks, the state has disbursed $8.7 billion in unemployment compensation to 954,000 Ohioans and $9.5 billion in pandemic unemployment assistance to 987,000 who do not qualify for traditional benefits.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor reports that 24,106 new unemployment claims were filed the week ended Feb. 27, up about 1,000 from the week before. Since the pandemic began, there have been 2,812,745 initial claims filed in the state.
The state has paid $7.2 billion in unemployment compensation and $8.1 billion in pandemic unemployment assistance.
Nationally, 745,000 people filed for unemployment the week ended Feb. 27, up about 9,000 from the week before.
Though the pace of layoffs has eased since the year began, they remain high by historical standards. Before the virus flattened the U.S. economy a year ago, applications for unemployment aid had never topped 700,000 in any week, even during the Great Recession.
All told, 4.3 million Americans are receiving traditional state unemployment benefits. Counting supplemental federal unemployment programs that were established to soften the economic damage from the virus, an estimated 18 million people are collecting some form of jobless aid.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
