Unemployment claims continue their downward trajectory
The number of initial unemployment claims have risen sharply and are now declining after the outbreak of COVID-19. Marion and Polk counties have followed trends across the state. (Courtesy/Oregon Employment Department).
Unemployment claims in Marion and Polk counties declined slightly after a small uptick last week.
For the week of May 3, 1,750 people in Marion County filed for unemployment benefits. The week before, 2,073 people filed for benefits, a small rise from the 1,992 filed previous week and after a decline through the month of April.
In Polk County, 392 people filed for unemployment claims. Similarly, the number of claims from Polk County dropped from the previous week’s 475, an increase from the 449 the week before.
In total, Marion County has generated 19,055 claims since March 15, when state orders intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus shut much of the economy. Polk County has generated 4,391 claims since then.
For the week of May 3, the Oregon Employment Department received 14,100 initial claims for unemployment benefits down from the previous week’s 19,600, according to a department press release.
Like the rest of the country, Oregon has seen record claims for unemployment as businesses have shed jobs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The department has received 396,000 initial claims since state orders went into effect in mid-March, creating a backlog. According to the department, 86%, or 335,046 claims, have been processed.
On Tuesday, Oregon is likely to get what’s almost certain to be more bad economic news when the unemployment rate for April is released.
Nationally, the unemployment rate stands at 14.7%.
Contact reporter Jake Thomas at 503-575-1251 or [email protected] or @jakethomas2009.
