MD New Unemployment Claims Top 662K Amid Coronavirus Crisis

MARYLAND — Another 48,963 Marylanders filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, the Maryland Department of Labor reported Thursday, pushing the 10-week jobless total to more than 662,500.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Wednesday that more businesses and services — such as youth day camps and outdoor dining — will be allowed to reopen Friday at 5 p.m. And while it's welcome news for businesses, many fear the pandemic's long-term effects on the economy.

The latest figure, which covers the week ending May 23, represents a 4 percent decrease from the 51,108 jobless claims that were filed the prior week. It, however, still remains well above the 2,090 that was reported the first week of March, before Hogan shut down non-essential businesses and ordered residents to stay home to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The Labor Department tallies how many residents file for regular or CARES Act unemployment insurance benefits via the state's BEACON One-Stop application system.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs were created through the CARES Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27.

PUA lets gig workers, independent contractors, and other self-employed people — who otherwise are ineligible for regular jobless benefits and cannot work due to COVID-19 — receive federally financed unemployment benefits. Those who qualify under PUA will receive up to 39 weeks of benefits, effective Jan. 27, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2020.

PEUC, on the other hand, provides 13 weeks of benefits to eligible claimants who have exhausted their other benefits.

For the week ending May 23, some 14,297 Marylanders filed for PUA claims. Another 830 applied for PEUC benefits.

Prince George's County had the highest number of PUA claims, with 2,682. It also had the overall highest number of first-time unemployment filings last week. The total: 8,246.

At 122, Baltimore County had the most PEUC applicants in the state.

Marylanders can now apply for PUA, PEUC, and regular unemployment insurance benefits on the state's BEACON One-Stop application system. Click here to learn more about the application process.

Here's how many people in each county filed first-time unemployment claims last week:

Here's how many people filed over a 10-week period, statewide: