First-time unemployment claims declined by nearly 9% in Oklahoma last week from the prior week’s revised figures, according to a government report.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that 4,594 initial unemployment claims were filed last week in Oklahoma, compared to 5,031 initial claims the previous week.
Last week was the 28th consecutive week that the four-week moving average of continued claims declined, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
Oklahoma has averaged about 5,200 initial claims each week for the past four months, more than double the average number filed during the same period just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic’s prompting of business layoffs and furloughs.
The slight decline in initial claims comes as officials with the OESC said last week that claimants should not lose a week of benefits as they roll out the latest temporary federal benefit program.
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Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt said in a series of videos on social media Saturday that “99%” of claimants will be able to file a claim as they normally would under the new Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers program, which provides up to 11 additional weeks of unemployment for those who have exhausted their eligibility in other programs.
She urged claimants not to file for benefits in programs for which they are not eligible as it would “hang up” their claims for benefits.
The commission also reported Thursday that 75.6% of claimant calls to the agency are now being resolved on the first call.
“We are continuing to place priority on helping claimants with their benefits questions as quickly as possible, and I commend our team for their commitment to resolving issues on the first call,” Zumwalt said. “Since the start of the pandemic, OESC paid out more than $3.84 billion dollars in benefits, which is more than the past decade combined, and processed more than 8.6 billion payments.
“Although we are encouraged by the decrease in claims, we remain focused on ensuring Oklahomans are getting the help they need.”
Meanwhile, 36,435 continued claims, or those filed after an initial claim and following one week of unemployment, were filed the week ending Dec. 26. Continued claims declined by about 2,700 from the prior week’s revised figures.
Nationally, unadjusted initial claims increased 9.2%, or by 81,127, to 922,072 the week ending Saturday.
Featured video: Oklahoma applies for $300 federal grant to supplement unemployment benefits
Under the application submitted by the state, Oklahoma will not be providing an extra $100 in weekly benefits as part of the required 25% match. Rather, the state will be utilizing funds it already pays out in regular unemployment compensation as its 25% match required under the program, which utilizes Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for the federal portion.
