More people are out of a job as 223,000 file new unemployment claims in Florida
Some 223,000 new claims for unemployment were filed in Florida last week, nearly matching last week’s figure and suggesting the state’s epidemic of job losses from the coronavirus pandemic continues unabated.
The 223,927 registered by the Department of Labor represent an increase of 845 filed from the previous week. Only a handful of states registered an increase in claims for the week ending May 16, the Department of Labor said, showing Florida continues to move in the wrong direction.
For the U.S., more than 2.4 million new claims were filed — a decrease from the previous week’s revised level of more than 2.9 million. Since the crisis began, 38 million jobless claims have been filed. The unemployment rate for the U.S. is now 17.2%.
The state’s own unemployment dashboard shows 1.5 million unique claimants — about 17% of the state’s workforce — have filed for unemployment. The dashboard also shows 88.2% of claims filed have been processed, with a backlog of about 200,000 claims and counting.
While the state has now paid out more than $2 billion in unemployment benefits — including channeling an extra $600 per person in federal dollars on top of the state’s $275 payout — that figure trails even smaller states like Michigan, which has paid out $5.6 billion.
Last Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed much of the backlog on users’ inability to complete applications properly. The statement was immediately criticized on social media by Democrats and unemployed Floridians alike.
Meanwhile, in Washington, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, signaled late Wednesday that he did not plan to extend the $600 in additional unemployment aid as part of the CARES Act.
“The Senate majority leader told the House GOP minority in an afternoon phone call that he is comfortable waiting to see how the nearly $3 trillion in coronavirus spending previously approved plays out before moving forward on the next relief legislation,” Politico reported.
Friday, Florida will release the statewide unemployment rate, which could hit as high as 20%. While that will provide a rear-view mirror snapshot, next week’s initial unemployment report from the Labor Department will be even more closely watched because it will show whether states’ efforts to reopen in the face of the virus led to increased hiring.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 8:54 AM.
