Washington Employment Security Commissioner Suzi LeVine speaks at a news conference in April.
It was a mixed bag for Washington state this past week.
From July 19-25, Washington residents filed 28,840 initial regular employment claims — down 1.7 percent from the week prior — and 677,355 total unemployment benefits, an increase of 0.6 percent from the previous week.
For the same time period, Lewis County’s initial unemployment claims dropped.
From July 19-25, 247 county residents filed claims, compared to 294 the previous week — a decrease of 16 percent. Lewis County residents also filed exactly 247 claims the week of June 28-July 4, and then the next week claims rose significantly to 398.
By industry, county residents in food service filed the most claims, followed by administrative and support services, specialty trade contractors, and accommodation.
Statewide for the week, the Employment Security Department paid out more than $574.7 million for 442,219 individual claims — an increase of $81.6 million and 11,480 individuals from the previous week.
Since March 7, considered the beginning of the pandemic in Washington, 2,338,445 residents have filed initial claims, and ESD has paid more than $8.7 billion in benefits to 966,464 individuals who have filed initial claims.
In a prepared statement, ESD Commissioner Suzi LeVine said: “We continue to see employment uncertainty reflected in the unemployment numbers as initial regular claims fluctuate week to week.
“We also experienced a notable change this week, as the additional $600 in federal benefits expired on July 25. Unless Congress acts soon to extend or alter it the loss of this additional benefit will create hardship for many individuals and families.
“While ESD administers this additional benefit, we do not have a say in whether it is extended,” LeVine added. “We are following the situation closely and will continue to update claimants if there are any changes.”
