Initial unemployment insurance claims for week of June 6 - 12, 2021
Employment Security Department
#21-037
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 17, 2021
Email media inquiries: media@esd.wa.gov
Initial and continued claims for regular benefits decreased during the week of June 6 – 12
OLYMPIA – During the week of June 6 – June 12, there were 6,892 initial regular unemployment claims (down 22.3 percent from the prior week) and 383,776 total claims for all unemployment benefit categories (down 0.7 percent from the prior week) filed by Washingtonians, according to the Employment Security Department (ESD).
- Initial regular claims applications are now 76 percent below weekly new claims applications during the same period last year during the pandemic.
- The 4-week moving average for initial claims remains elevated at 9,378 (as compared to the 4-week moving average of initial claims pre-pandemic of 6,071 initial claims) and remains at similar levels of initial claims filed during the Great Recession.
- Initial claims applications for regular benefits, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and continued/ongoing claims for regular benefits all decreased over the week.
- Initial claims applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) increased slightly over the week.
- Decreases in layoffs in Retail Trade, Manufacturing and Administrative and Support Services contributed to the decrease in regular initial claims last week.
In the week ending June 12th, ESD paid out over $226 million for 287,334 individual claims. Since the crisis began in March 2020, ESD has paid more than $19 billion in benefits to over a million Washingtonians.
Unemployment claim type |
Week of June 6- June 12 |
Week of May 30- June 5 |
Week of May 23- May 29 |
Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) initial claims |
6,892 |
8,868 |
10,085 |
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) initial claims |
1,468 |
1,403 |
1,647 |
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) initial claims |
1,828 |
1,940 |
2,147 |
Continued/ongoing weekly claims |
373,588 |
374,106 |
367,761 |
Total claims |
383,776 |
386,317 |
381,640 |
Below is a sixty-seven week summary of statewide initial claims filed since the start of the COVID-19 crisis: Note: You can find detailed claims data anytime on the ESD website.
For complete information of weekly initial claims by industry sector and county for the year to date, also check the weekly unemployment initial claims charts compiled by ESD’s Labor Market & Economic Analysis division. For more information about specific counties, contact one of ESD’s regional local economists.
ESD will send out the next weekly new claims press release on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
Data disclaimer and definitions
Per U.S. Department of Labor regulations, weekly unemployment claims data is embargoed and not available for release until the Thursday following the claim week.
Initial claims include individuals who filed first-time claims as well as additional claims filed by individuals as a result of a new unemployment event. Initial claims include claims that are still being reviewed for eligibility. Counts for initial claims are not indicative of the number of claims that will result in monetary compensation.
Continuing claims equal continued weeks claimed including a total of all weeks for which benefits were claimed, even though such benefits were not paid or payment status is uncertain or unknown, e.g., waiting weeks, partial weeks, weeks for which penalties are being served and weeks for which a monetary or nonmonetary issue is pending.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is an emergency program established by the federal CARES Act that temporarily expands unemployment insurance eligibility to self-employed workers, freelancers, independent contractors, and part-time workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) is an emergency program established by the federal CARES Act that extends unemployment insurance for those who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits.
Web links
COVID-19 resources
- Washington state Employment Security Department unemployment insurance information for workers and employers
- Governor’s coronavirus website
- Washington state Department of Health public health resources
Labor market web links
- Labor market information website
- Historical data (Excel spreadsheet)
- Historical claims data (Excel spreadsheets)