New Florida jobless assistance claims hit a pandemic low — but not for contract workers
New applications for jobless assistance in Florida stayed at a pandemic low, even as week-to-week figures continued to be revised.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that new Sunshine State claims for the week ending March 6 declined from 19,020 to 16,005. That represents a revision of last week’s data, which the department reported as having fallen from 18,630 to 15,903.
For the U.S., new jobless claims fell from a revised 754,000 to 712,000 on the week — also a pandemic low.
Florida’s unemployment system has come in for heavy criticism during the pandemic, and the fluctuating data may reflect ongoing troubles.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that new Florida claims for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, the program for workers such as contract employees not eligible for regular jobless benefits, continued to trend unevenly. For the week ending March 6, new PUA claims climbed from 2,262 to 2,925 — but as recently as the week ending Feb. 20, new PUA claims were as high as 11,473.
A Labor Department representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Many Floridians say they are weeks behind on receiving unemployment assistance. Reached by the Miami Herald, a Department of Economic Opportunity representative said, “The Department is dedicated to paying eligible Floridians the benefits they are owed as quickly as possible.”
The state also kicked off the year fighting off waves of fraudulent claims. This week, the number of claims flagged on the state’s dashboard for fraud detection fell from 56,718 to 37,275. A department representative said in an email last Friday that it did not have an update on the amount paid out in fraudulent claims.
A new proposal being rolled out in Tallahassee to replenish the state’s depleted unemployment insurance trust fund would require Floridians to pay sales taxes for online purchases. The fund has fallen by nearly $4 billion since the start of the pandemic, and companies are slated to see the amount they must pay into it soar from $7 per employee to $87 next year under a sliding scale that state lawmakers years ago tied to the unemployment rate.
Late Thursday, Congress approved a new relief bill that will see most Americans receive a $1,400 check and which extends the federal $300-per-week unemployment supplement into September.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 9:22 AM.
