COLUMBUS — Applications for unemployment benefits in Ohio last week saw an overall decline, however people filing initial claims increased for a second week in a row, according to new data released by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Thursday.
>>PREVIOUS REPORT: Coronavirus: Ohio unemployment applications increase slightly after weeks of decline
The total number of applications, nearly 320,000 Ohioans, remains historically high and is over 550 percent higher than this time last year, according to ODJFS data. However the total number of applications decreased about 6 percent from the number of people who filed last week.
>>US layoffs remain elevated as 837,000 seek jobless aid
The biggest decrease in claims was in continued claims, or those who had filed previously and were seeking or a continuation of benefits. Last week nearly 302,000 Ohioans sought continued claims, a number that is down over 6 percent from the over 321,000 who filed the previous week, according to the ODJFS.
For the second week in a row, Ohioans filing new unemployment applications increased, after several weeks of decreasing claims. Last week, nearly 18,000 Ohioans filed new applications for jobless benefits, about a 3 percent increase to the around 17,500 who sought them the previous week.
Over the last 28 weeks, over 1.7 million initial jobless claims have been filed, which is more than the combined total of those received in the last four years, according to the ODJFS. Additionally in the last 28 weeks, over $6.8 billion in unemployment compensation has been paid to over 813,000 Ohioans.
Nationally, jobless claims remained steady from the previous week, with around 837,000 Americans filing initial claims, according to the Associated Press.
Cox Media Group
