PORTLAND, Ore. — Another 14,100 Oregonians filed initial claims for unemployment benefits during the week of May 3 to May 9, the Oregon Employment Department announced on Thursday. That number is lower than the nearly 20,000 Oregonians who initially filed for unemployment the week prior.
With the new initial claims, 396,000 Oregonians have applied for unemployment since the coronavirus pandemic prompted business closures in mid-March. Nationwide, more than 36 million Americans have filed for jobless aid since the pandemic began.
Most claims filed last week came from the counties in the Portland metro area.
- Multnomah: 5,500
- Washington: 3,200
- Clackamas: 2,400
The accommodation and food services sector has been hit the hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic, with about 68,400 people filing claims since March 15, according to the employment department. The other industries with the most claims are health care and social assistance (43,100) and retail trade (36,400). Every sector has seen increase unemployment claims since the pandemic began.
The employment office says 86% of initial claims for regular unemployment benefits received between March 15 and May 9 have been processed.
“If measured by dollars paid, Unemployment Insurance would now be the largest paying subsector of Oregon’s economy,” the OED said in a press release. Unemployment payouts would have ranked 37th prior to the pandemic.
Still, there are tens of thousands of claims that have not been processed, with some people waiting six or seven weeks for benefits. The employment department continues to add workers and a total of 690 employees are now processing claims, which occurs every day of the week.
Resources
To file an online claim for unemployment benefits, go to Oregon.gov/employ or call 1-877-FILE-4-UI.
Self-employed gig workers can apply for unemployment benefits through the CARES Act Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. Access the application here.
For help finding jobs and training resources, contact your local WorkSource Oregon center or go to WorkSourceOregon.org.
Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.
