SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Unemployment slowed somewhat again in Utah last week, but jobless claims remained crushingly high during the coronavirus pandemic that’s dealt a body blow to the economy, state officials said Thursday.
About 19,800 people filed for unemployment last week, down from more than 24,000 the week before.
“We are encouraged to see another decrease in new claims filed, though we continue to receive them at record levels,” Kevin Burt, unemployment insurance division director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said in a statement.
Average weekly claims last year were about 1,100, a fraction of the latest total.
The state paid out more than $17 million in benefits last week and distributed $42.6 million in federal stimulus money through a program that bolsters unemployment by $600 a week.
It was the second time since the coronavirus crisis hit that unemployment claims ticked downward from a staggering high of 33,000 three weeks ago.
Food and beverage workers took the brunt on the layoffs at first, and administrative workers have formed the largest portion of the claims more recently. Businesses statewide are closed in the effort to stop the spread of the virus, which causes flu-like symptoms that many people recover from but can be fatal especially for older people and those with underlying health conditions. Thirty-five people have died in Utah.
Nationally, new unemployment claims decreased somewhat as well, but the combined impact has left a stunning one in six American workers unemployed, a level last seen during the Great Depression. More than 4.4 million new workers applied for unemployment benefits in the U.S. last week. In all, about 26 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the past five weeks.
In other Utah developments:
- Lawmakers have passed a bill requiring the governor to give them 24 hours’ notice when he issues emergency orders during a pandemic, unless lives are at stake. Republican sponsor Rep. Francis Gibson had originally wanted 48 hours’ notice, but critics had argued it could hamstring state responses.
- Lawmakers also approved a proposal to protect businesses from legal liability after re-opening. Republican sponsor Rep. Kirk Cullimore said business owners fear they could be sued if a customer contracts the virus. Reckless or intentional behavior is not exempt from lawsuits. The measure passed despite concerns that it could set a bad precedent.
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