New Unemployment Claims Jump 71.7% In Washington

SEATTLE, WA — During the first seven days of November, Washington saw its largest jump in new unemployment claims since late March, according to a report released by the state Thursday.

Between Nov. 1 and Nov. 7, Washington's Employment Security Department logged 25,201 "initial regular unemployment claims," up 71.7 percent from the week before. Total claims for all unemployment benefits were down slightly, falling 2.1 percent for a total of 429,063.

In a news release, the state said the latest numbers represented the largest weekly increase in new claims since the week of March 21. According to the Seattle Times, Washington's jump appeared to be the highest recorded in any state last week.

According to the Employment Security Department, new jobless claims tend to rise during this time of year due to seasonal layoffs. However, the weekly figure is still 223 percent above the same period in 2019.

The state estimates it paid more than $146.5 million for nearly 292,000 claims last week and $12.2 billion in benefits since the pandemic began.

Learn more about the latest data on the Employment Security Department website.