Arizona had the third most unemployment claims in the country as the unemployment rate grew from 4.5% in February to 5.5% in March.

National numbers for the week ending April 4 were revised up this week by 9,000, showing 6.615 million Americans filing for unemployment for the first time. In Arizona that was additional 43,500 people looking for work.

Numbers like these prompted Pinal County to launch its “Pinal Works” webpage to give local employees and businesses a central resource during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The site guides workers to job employment opportunities through Arizona@Work Pinal County, which also includes information on unemployment insurance and job training. Those who are out of work can find lists of job openings around the state.

It links to the governor’s “Arizona Together” site and to Arizona Commerce Authority, which has a wide range of topics for businesses and residents to consider regarding the impact of the coronavirus on the economy, and even ways to help others.

According to numbers released today to Arizona Commerce Authority, nonfarm employment lost 7,400 jobs in March. More than 5,000 of those jobs were in leisure and hospitality. Typically, the state has a gain of 10,900 jobs in March.

Last week, Arizona Department of Economic Security distributed more than $26.9 million in unemployment insurance  payments as a result of an unprecedented number of Arizonans applying for unemployment benefits. An additional $55 million in benefits was distributed Monday to claimants that filed weekly certifications Sunday. Those benefits included the weekly supplemental $600 in benefits referred to as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program, provided by the CARES Act.

“We know from these numbers that this is an extremely challenging time for Arizonans, and the Department of Economic Security is working hard to process unemployment claims as quickly as possible,” said Tom Betlach, from the Office of the Director.  “We are paying out higher numbers each week and this will only continue as we enhance our systems and scale our staff.”

 

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