First-Time Jobless Claims In Maryland Surpass 1.24M

MARYLAND — First-time unemployment claims in Maryland dropped slightly last week to 28,388, down from 30,060 the previous week, according to the state's Labor Department.

The latest figure — which covers the week ending Oct. 10 — pushes the total number of filing since early March to more than 1.24 million.

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While the number of initial filings has dropped substantially from its peak in May, it is still high by historical standards.

Prior to the pandemic, jobless claims in Maryland hovered between 2,000 and 6,500 per week. During the public health crisis, however, these numbers have fluctuated between 2,090 and 109,263. The all-time pandemic high was for the week ending May 2.

Here's how many people sought jobless aid during the pandemic:

Of the 28,388 workers who applied last week, 3,467 filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) — a federal program for gig workers, contractors, and other self-employed people who otherwise are ineligible for regular jobless benefits.

The jurisdiction with the most PUA claims last week was Prince George's County, with 922, according to state data.

Claims filed for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) — a federal program that provides an additional 13 weeks of pay to workers who've exhausted their other benefits — was 12,357.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) issued a State of Emergency on March 5. That means people who sought jobless aid after that date exhausted their 26 weeks of benefits as early as last month.

Labor officials say that's likely why PEUC claims have surpassed 12,000 the past two weeks. Before that, they never exceeded 3,000.

In late summer, the state recently began offering an additional 13 weeks of jobless aid to those who have exhausted both their regular unemployment and PEUC benefits.

Last week's filings for extended unemployment benefits (EB) was 960. Most applications came from Baltimore County, with a total of 171.