The marquee on the front of Salem’s Historic Grand in downtown Salem on Thursday, April 2. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Claims from Marion and Polk residents for unemployment benefits rose for the third straight week, tracking record-setting trends across Oregon.
For the week ending Saturday, April 4, the state processed 3,657 initial claims for unemployment in Marion County, up from the 3,053 the previous week. Polk County generated 858 claims, up from 662 the previous week.
The most recent figures are another sign that the economic toll of the COVID-19 outbreak has surpassed that of the Great Recession.
According to the Oregon Employment Department, the state saw a 147,800 net loss of jobs during the Great Recession.
Since a March 17 state order that closed and restricted many businesses, the department has received 269,900 claims for unemployment. Last week alone, the department received 100,700 claims for unemployment, setting a new record.
The unprecedented number of claims has created a backlog for the Employment Department. The department has quadrupled staff to sort through claims and has already processed more in the first quarter of 2020 than all of 2019. A federal relief package added $600 to each unemployment payment and the department announced that it will start processing the additional payments by Friday, April 10.
The hospitality and leisure industry has been the hardest struck by the outbreak with state orders shutting restaurants and bars. Since March 15, there have been 40,600 initial claims from the industry.
Since March 15, Marion County has generated 7,992 claims and 1,780 in Polk County.
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