Web Version [link removed] | Update Preferences [link removed] [link removed] WARN ACT + Unemployment Data Update: March through July 4, 2020

Total California initial claims (regular UI plus PUA claims by the self-employed) largely stabilized at the new elevated level of the past two weeks, easing only 2.9% from the week before. California showed 267,123 initial UI claims (NSA) along with 100,588 initial PUA claims (NSA). Although not yet incorporated into the numbers, last week’s orders reinstituting closures in 19 counties are likely to further increase the total in the weeks ahead.

As suggested in the separate WARN Act analyses, most layoffs continue to be temporary but an increasing percentage is now shifting to permanent, an indication that the recovery period will face additional difficulties in returning to previous job and employment levels.

Nationally, actual claims (not seasonally adjusted (NSA)) for regular UI similarly showed little change (-2.2%) at 1,399,699, while the seasonally adjusted (SA) level used for trend analysis is being reported as a 7.0% decrease at 1,314,000. Combined with PUA claims, the national total NSA numbers were essentially unchanged with a growth of only 0.4%.

As with the employment and job numbers, the UI data is another indication that the economic downturn has been more severe in California. Expressed as a percentage of total covered employment, California had the 5th highest continuing claims rate at 16.7% compared to the US average of 11.7%.

Although not included in the table below, claims under the new Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program continues to show significant numbers. This new category allows an additional 13 weeks of coverage for persons who have exhausted their regular benefits, including eligibility for the additional $600 a week. California claims were up at 251,012 or 30% of total claims nationally.

In the revised data posted by EDD, WARN Act notices effective March through the end of the year covered 492,572 workers. The revised numbers also show the rate of permanent layoffs up again, at 15.3% of all reported layoffs. As indicated in previous reports, the WARN Act notices do not cover all layoffs, but are useful for indicating the geographic distribution of layoffs and the share covered by business closures.

The statewide data broken down by county: Visit The Center For Jobs » [[link removed]] The California Center for Jobs and the Economy provides an objective and definitive source of information pertaining to job creation and economic trends in California. [[link removed]] Contact 1301 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814 916.553.4093 If you no longer wish to receive these emails, select here to unsubscribe. [link removed]