SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — More people have now applied for unemployment in Utah during the coronavirus pandemic than the previous three years combined, though the number of new claims are decreasing as the state economy reopens.
State officials said Thursday that nearly 5,500 more people applied for unemployment last week, about 12% fewer than the week before. Since business shutdowns aimed at halting the spread of the virus began in mid-March, the state has processed nearly 165,000 claims, or about about 11% of the eligible workforce.
Still, there are other signals workers are getting back on the job. Almost 10,000 people ended their unemployment claim on May 16, an increase from the week before.