Over 500,000 Regular Initial Claims Filed in 2020; Weekly Declines in Initial and Continued Claims for Second Consecutive Week

Finalized data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) show initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) totaled 11,337 for the week ending May 30, down 4,270 claims, or 27.4 percent compared to last week’s total of 15,607.

This is the fifth consecutive week of declines in regular initial claims. Through the week ending May 30, there have been 507,177 initial claims filed in 2020, 485,525 of which have come in the last twelve weeks.

Continued claims, which represent the current number of insured unemployed workers filing weekly for unemployment insurance benefits, fell to 335,043. This is a decline from the previous week of 7,987 claims, or 2.3 percent. The state’s insured unemployment rate, which is the ratio of continued claims in a week to the total number of jobs covered by the unemployment insurance system (also known as covered employment), was 24.3 percent in the week, a decline of 0.6 percentage points. 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 for the self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers saw 18,700 initial claims filed in the week, a decline from last week’s total of 37,566. A total of 405,111 PUA continued claims were filed in the week, though it should be noted that this figure includes multiple weeks of claims. Nevada’s Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which provides up to 13 weeks of benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits, saw 5,977 claims filed in the week.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted regular initial claims was 1,877,000 a decline of 249,000 claims from the previous week's revised level of 2,126,000. The national insured unemployment rate for the week ending May 23 was 14.8 percent, an increase of 0.5 percentage points from the previous week. The national rate is reported with a one-week lag.

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 highly 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 or do not have the necessary resources 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.

Online filers are encouraged to participate in the online claim filing system announced last month. The system, now operational, is organized by last names and is aimed at providing quicker results for Nevadans seeking to gain access to unemployment benefits: Claimants with last names starting with A-K are asked to file on Sundays. Last names L-R are asked to file on Mondays. Last names S-Z are asked to file on Tuesday. Wednesday through Saturday are open for all to initiate or renew claims online.

For Nevada workers who are self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers, Nevada’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA) is now 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 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 at 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.