Weekly unemployment claims filed in Pennsylvania reach new pandemic low, down 7% from previous week’s report

HARRISBURG — An estimated 20,951 unemployment claims were filed in Pennsylvania last week, about 1,600 fewer claims, or a decrease of more than 7%, from the revised total of 22,626 claims filed in the week before, according to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Labor. As of the week ending on Aug. 29, an estimated 544,000 Pennsylvanians were receiving weekly unemployment benefits, a decrease of more than 38,000 from the previous week’s figure of more than 582,000 people.

The latest report showed the lowest number of claims filed since the pandemic began. More than 404,000 were filed during the week ending on April 4, the highest number of claims ever filed on record. Before the pandemic reached Pennsylvania, the commonwealth averaged between 12,000 to 15,000 unemployment claims filed every week.

Read more from our news partners at the Pittsburgh Business Times.

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