First-time jobless claims continue to decline in Oklahoma

The U.S. Department of Labor, in its weekly report, said 7,210 Oklahoma workers filed initial jobless claims the week ending Saturday with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, a decline of 1,212 claims from the prior week.

Continued claims, those filed after at least one week of continued unemployment, also declined, from a revised figure of 32,514 the week ending March 6, to 27,853 claims the week ending March 13.

The four-week moving average of continued claims, meanwhile, declined for the 39th consecutive week, or from 34,390 the week ending March 6 to 32,574 the following week.

The continued drop in the four-week moving average comes as OESC officials say they have reduced the number of cases in adjudication to fewer than 5,000.

“Over the past several months, we have added staff to our adjudication team and committed countless hours to training and process improvements that significantly decreased the resolution time for cases in adjudication,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC executive director. “Throughout the pandemic, there was a sharp rise in cases in adjudication. Like other challenges we’ve faced, we dedicated our time, staff and resources to solving the issue as efficiently as possible.”

Zumwalt said the average resolution time for cases going through the adjudication process is now 21 days.

Adjudication is the legal process required by the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure the legitimacy and accuracy of a claim, according to the OESC.

Meanwhile, while 27,853 received jobless benefits under the state’s regular unemployment program the week ending March 6, another 48,588 received extended, regular unemployment benefits after they had exhausted their benefits under the state program.

In all, between regular and extended regular benefit programs and another job relief program for self-employed and gig workers, about 100,600 Oklahoma workers were out of work and receiving benefits the week ending March 6, the most recent date for all three major jobless programs.

Nationally, seasonally adjusted, initial claims declined by 97,000 to 684,000.

A Closer Look At U.S. Unemployment

Photos: Scenes around Tulsa captured by World photographers