Nevada jobless claims increase 12.4% in first full week of January

EDITOR'S NOTE: Below is a press release issued Friday, Jan. 15, by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation outlining unemployment statistics for the week ending January 9:

CARSON CITY, Nev. — For the week ending January 9, initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) totaled 9,511, up 1,050 claims, or 12.4%, compared to the previous week’s total of 8,461 claims, according to finalized data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR). Through the week ending January 9, there have been a total of 803,738 initial claims filed since the week ending March 14, 2020.

It should be noted that due to the delay in the passage of HB 133, many of the benefit programs enacted during the pandemic expired for a short period of time. This programmatic lapse may have introduced some variability in the data.

Continued claims, which represent the current number of insured unemployed workers filing weekly for unemployment insurance benefits, totaled 78,793 claims, an increase of 1,410 claims, or 1.8%, from the previous week’s total of 77,383. This is only the third increase in regular program continued claims since August 8.

Nevada’s Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which previously provided up to 13 weeks of benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits, saw 71,599 claims filed in the week, a decline of 14,502 claims from last week’s total of 86,101. The passage of HB 133 updated this provision; starting the week ending January 2, claimants may be eligible for up to an additional 11 weeks of PEUC in certain circumstances.

Nevada’s State Extended Benefit (SEB) program currently provides up to 20 weeks of benefits to individuals who have exhausted both their regular and PEUC program benefits. Nevada saw 47,876 claims filed in the week, an increase of 13,360 claims from a week ago. New guidance from the Department of Labor may require DETR to change the sequence of applying and paying out benefits.

The insured unemployment rate for the regular UI program, which is the ratio of regular continued claims in a week to the total number of jobs covered by the unemployment insurance system (also known as covered employment), rose slightly to 5.9%. Including claimants in the benefit extension programs, the rate, more appropriately called the extended insured unemployment rate, was 15.0%. It should be noted that the calculation of the insured unemployment rate is different from that of the state’s total unemployment rate.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides benefits for self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers saw 8,379 initial claims filed in the week ending January 9, an increase of 7,263 claims, or 650.8%, from last week’s total of 1,116. Continued variability in this claim type is being monitored by DETR. Through the week ending January 9, there have been a total of 794,044 PUA initial claims filed since the beginning of the program.

There were 75,105 PUA continued claims filed in the week ending January 9, a decrease of 8,757 claims, or 10.4%, from the previous week’s revised total of 83,862. This is the tenth consecutive week of declines in PUA continued claims, and the lowest reading for any week since the start of the program.

State level data from the U.S. Department of Labor can be found here [DOL Weekly Claims Report]. View the state level unemployment insurance claims report for the week ending January 9 here [Weekly Report]. A dashboard for Nevada weekly claims can be found here [Weekly Dashboard]. A page for Nevada weekly claims characteristics by program can be viewed here [Weekly Claims Characteristics]. A monthly claims dashboard can be found here [Monthly Dashboard] and a monthly claims demographic page can be seen here [Monthly Demographics]. See weekly county claims trends here [Weekly by County]. Dashboards are interactive reports that allow for deeper analysis of the data.

To file for unemployment in the State of Nevada, please use the online application available 24/7 at http://ui.nv.gov/css.html. People unable to file online may file via telephone by calling a UI Claims Call Center between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday and Saturday between 8 a.m. and noon. Northern UI Call Center: (775) 684-0350; Southern UI Call Center: (702) 486-0350; Rural areas and Out-of-State: (888) 890-8211. Claimants are encouraged to use the internet to file their UI claims, as it is the fastest and most convenient way to file and reserves the phone lines for individuals who are not able to file online. Online filing during non-peak hours, such as early mornings, at night or weekends is also highly recommended. To continue to receive benefits, claimants must file weekly.

DETR is actively working with law enforcement entities and the Department of Labor to detect, prevent and address unemployment fraud. Employers and individuals who believe they have been a victim of unemployment fraud, can file a report with the agency by visiting www.detr.nv.gov and selecting the Unemployment Fraud tab on the left under “Quick links” and clicking on “Report Fraud to DETR.” Once a report is filed with the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), nothing else is required by the reporting party. DETR will flag the account so payments are not issued. If needed, the Department may reach out for additional information. To view what additional steps individuals and employers can take if they believe a fraudulent claim has been filed, review DETR’s fraud flyer located on the Bulletin Board at www.detr.nv.gov.

For Nevada workers who are self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers, Nevada’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA) is available. For further information regarding the PUA program visit, detr.nv.gov/pua#. Individuals will be able to file online at www.employnv.gov or call the PUA Call Center at (800) 603-9681 or 775-298-6007 or 702-998-3081 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday between 8 a.m. and noon.

Claimants are encouraged to visit http://ui.nv.gov/css.html and detr.nv.gov/coronavirus to view important announcements and access essential resources. Online tutorial videos are also available in both English and Spanish and can be viewed on the Nevada Unemployment Insurance YouTube page.