July 16, 2020
Mass. unemployment claims drop 13%
Photo | Grant Welker
Many restaurants, including Rail Trail Flatbread Co. in Hudson, have opened outdoor seating areas to accommodate guests while coronavirus numbers across Massachusetts remain low. Phased reopenings of many businesses have brought relative gains in employment.
By Riley Garand
Unemployment claims filed since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic have increased to 1,117,040 in Massachusetts, according to the U.S Department of Labor data released Thursday.
There were 23,665 new claims made throughout the week ending July 11, which is 3,386 less than the week prior. The Labor Department on Thursday adjusted the number of claims made the week ending July 4, increasing from 26,755 to 27,051.
In the week ending July 11, new claims were highest in health and social assistance (2,894 new claims), manufacturing (2,098), and food and accommodation (1,773), according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
These unemployment numbers come after Gov. Charlie Baker’s issued guidelines for the first step of Phase Three of economic reopening plan continues to roll out.
Looking back at the months of April and May, jobs rebounded slightly in Worcester even with the many who filed for unemployment during that time. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm employment increased by 6,200, or about 2.5%, between those months.
Across Massachusetts, total nonfarm employment increased by 58,600, or 1.9%, between April and May. June unemployment figures are due to be released Friday.
Nationally, there were 1.3 million claims filed last week, which is 10,000 less than the prior week’s 1.31 million. In total, the country has roughly 52.1 million unemployment claims filed since the beginning of the pandemic.
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