OKLAHOMA CITY – After months of steady declines in jobless claims, applications for unemployment benefits shot up 30% recently as claimants who’ve been out of work for a year refiled for assistance.
The advance, unadjusted number of initial claims for the week ending April 10 totaled almost 18,000, an increase of 4,145 from the previous week’s revised level. The four-week moving average of first-time applications was 11,956, an increase of 2,771 from the previous week’s revised average of 9,185.
“We saw a significant increase in initial unemployment claims, which is largely due to a number of claimants refiling for unemployment after their benefit year expired,” said Shelley Zumwalt, executive director of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
Claimants who have been drawing unemployment for 52 weeks are required to re-file for their benefits. Claimants who first filed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic are in the process of refiling, which is a requirement from the U.S. Department of Labor, Zumwalt said.
The four-week moving average of continued claims in Oklahoma increased for the first time in more than 40 weeks, the OESC reported. The advance unadjusted number of continued claims for the week ending April 10 totaled 25,593, an increase of 1,367 from the previous week.
During the week ending April 11, 2020, newly filed claims in Oklahoma totaled 54,481 as the coronavirus pandemic got rooted in Oklahoma and layoffs spread.
Nationwide, first-time unemployment claims the week of April 5-10, 2021, fell sharply to a pandemic low of 576,000, the U.S. Labor Department reported. That was 193,000 fewer than the preceding week, although unemployment remains elevated.
DIRECT DEPOSIT PAYMENT ISSUE
Some people who receive their unemployment benefits via direct deposit on Conduent’s Way2Go card experienced delays last week from the state’s payment vendor.
In a statement, Conduent said additional security measures it implemented to protect Oklahomans’ unemployment funds resulted in unanticipated delays in transferring those funds for a small percentage of accounts.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing, and our team is working aggressively to resolve the matter as quickly as possible,” the company said in a prepared statement. Conduent said it expected the problem to be fully resolved Tuesday and said they would notify claimants about their specific situation through email.
Conduent said all new deposits coming from the state, including this week’s payments, were unaffected. OESC said that means claimants may get two payments at the same time: one for this week, and one for last week.
The Conduent payment issue was unrelated to another problem that arose Sunday when an OESC system update kept individuals from filing weekly claims. OESC said Monday that issue was resolved.
Meanwhile, new data from the Commerce Department showed retail sales soared 9.8% in March as stimulus checks were deposited in bank accounts, business restrictions loosened as vaccinations increased, and spring weather arrived. In comparison, February experienced a 2.7% drop in business.
CAREER FAIR IN LAWTON SLATED MAY 14
“As we continue our focus on providing unemployment benefits to those in need, we are also placing priority on helping claimants find employment,” Zumwalt said. “We have scheduled seven career fairs across the state in May and will also host an online career fair during the month.”
The career fair in Lawton will be held May 14 at the Hilton Garden Inn on 2nd Street, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Veterans will have the opportunity to begin participating early from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Any claimant who attends a career fair fulfills his/her work search requirement.
Employers can register to participate in the career fairs at http://regpack.com/ reg/OESC, and individuals looking for jobs can register at http://regpack.com/reg/ oesc21.
In addition to in-person events, OESC will provide a virtual option for employers and attendees May 5-28. An online portal is available for employers to post open positions, schedule interviews and network with attendees. Designated interview areas will be available for on-site participants at each event.