For Immediate Release
Date: May 27, 2021
Contact: Office of Government, Policy and Public Relations - cdle_pr@state.co.us
Press Release: State Labor Dept. Update for the Week Ending May 22nd: Revisions to Previous Claims Data and Current Jumpstart Participation
(Note: This will be the last weekly press release with claims data. Monthly employment situation reports and corresponding press calls will continue. Visit LMI Gateway for the most up-to-date information on Colorado’s labor market.)
(DENVER) — Today the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) reported that 4,119 regular initial unemployment claims were filed the week ending May 22nd. There were also 877 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) initial claims filed for the same week.
As mentioned in last week’s press release, CDLE has revised claims data back to the week ending January 16th, which coincides with the launch of the new MyUI+ system. Regular UI initial claims were revised down a total of 86,650 for the period of January 10th to May 8th. PUA initial claims were revised down a total of 5,583 during that same period. After revisions, a total of 852,672 regular initial unemployment claims have been filed since mid-March 2020, and a grand total of 1,117,904 claims, when the PUA program is included.*
Continued claims data for the regular UI and PUA programs were also revised back to the week ending January 16th. Regular UI continued claims were revised down an average of 27,600 per week for the period of January 10th to May 8th. PUA continued claims were revised down an average of 20,114 per week during that same period. Please note that prior to these published revisions, reported regular UI and PUA continued claims were not adjusted to account for potential fraudulent activity. For the week ending May 15th, the number of continued weeks requested totaled 145,305. That includes the following totals by UI program: regular UI (40,807), PUA (25,865), and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) (78,633).**
The revised weekly initial and continued claims figures can be viewed on pages 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 13 in the attached PDF at the end of this press release.
As of May 26th, a total of 1567 claimants have opted into the new Colorado Jumpstart program since Sunday, May 23rd. The return to work incentive program is designed to help make the transition back to work for unemployed Coloradans, a successful one. Claimants who return to work in May and June may be eligible to receive a Colorado Jumpstart incentive payment of up to $1,600. Newly employed workers must maintain gainful employment for at least eight weeks to receive the full incentive. A full list of eligibility requirements is posted on ColoradoUI.gov. The number of claimants opting into the program will be published every Monday.
Additional data
Benefits paid March 29, 2020 - May 22, 2021:
Weekly amounts for non regular UI programs can be viewed in the attached PDF at the end of this press release.
Regular UI: $2.98 Billion
Week ending May 22: $21.8 Million
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
(gig workers/self-employed): $1.37 Billion
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
($600/weekly UI benefits to eligible claimants, CARES Act; $300/weekly UI benefits to eligible claimants, CAA; $300/weekly UI benefits to eligible claimants, ARP): $3.73 Billion
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
(extends unemployment benefits by up to 13 weeks, CARES Act;
extends additional 11 weeks, CAA; extends additional 29 weeks, ARP): $960.1 Million
State Extended Benefits
(extends unemployment benefits an additional 13 weeks): $35.4 Million
Lost Wages Assistance
($300/weekly UI benefits to eligible claimants, fall 2020): $389.2 Million
Total: $9.47 Billion
Helping Coloradans with Reemployment Support
CDLE and its partners hold regular, no-cost training that can help unemployed Coloradans get rehired. A sampling of events is below and a complete list of events, workshops and training opportunities is available on the CDLE website.
Trainings and Resources for Job Seekers
Please note that some registration links cover the same event over multiple days. Job seekers can see all available training dates by clicking on the drop down menu or “select a date” in the registration links.
Monday, May 24, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Pave the Way to Your Next Job:
In-person only!--This workshop is an overview of the job search, covering activities such as applications, resumes and preparing for interviews. 918 10th St, Greeley, CO 80631
Monday, May 31, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Pave the Way to Your Next Job:
In-person only! This workshop is an overview of the job search, covering activities such as applications, resumes and preparing for interviews. 918 10th St, Greeley, CO 80631
Tuesday, June 1, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Job Seeker Webinar for Northwest Colorado: Job seekers from Edwards, Frisco, Glenwood Springs, Steamboat Springs, Rifle, Craig, Leadville, and Meeker can take advantage of free career services by contacting their local Workforce Center. For more details, visit the CDLE website and click on the event.
Wednesday, June 2, 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m..: Careers in Tech
Thursday, June 3, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m..: Sterling Workforce Center Express Employment Hiring Event: Sterling Workforce Center, 100 Broadway St #24, Sterling, CO 80751, USA
Friday, June 4, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m..: HOPE: Helping Offenders Pursue Employment:
In-person only! Learn details about the job search for those with a criminal background. Sign up through your Connecting Colorado account or by calling 970-400-6791.
Who’s Hiring
As of May 26, 2021, there are 103,163 job postings listed on ConnectingColorado.com, the state’s jobs database.
- The following areas and industries have the most job openings as of May 21, 2021:
- Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services (26,548)
- Professional, scientific and technical services (19,748)
- Retail trade (18,531)
- Job titles posted most often:
- Registered nurses (9,773)
- Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (7,221)
- Software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers (6,811)
We’re hiring! Click here to browse the hundreds of jobs open with the State of Colorado right now. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and the Office of the Future of Work publish bi-weekly articles to share hiring trends and highlight online and in-person resources to connect workers with meaningful employment. Read the latest article here.
Sector of the Week
As pandemic-related restrictions continue to ease up, an increasing number of employers are beginning to resume hiring. Each week we will highlight a sector that’s hiring. This week’s sector is construction. According to EMSI, 3,244 open positions in the industry were listed in Colorado just last week. In the past month, 1,358 construction jobs were listed on ConnectingColorado.com.
Grants for Workers
- COResponds is designed to help workers who are temporarily or permanently laid off due to the pandemic, including dislocated workers and long-term unemployed workers. The grant also serves people who are self-employed but have become unemployed or underemployed as a result of the pandemic.
- RecoverCO helps Coloradans who are unemployed or underemployed as a result of the pandemic by providing comprehensive career and training services for a rapid return to work and supportive services to ease financial burdens during job search and training.
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*Initial claims are claims filed to establish (via a new initial claim) or reestablish (through an additional initial claim after an intervening period of employment) benefit eligibility. Initial claims are typically considered a reliable leading indicator of economic activity. All applications filed are those applications for benefits filed with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and may not have been through various eligibility determination e.g. wage verification, etc.
As previously reported, UI has been subject to fraudulent activity since last year. Therefore, initial claims data going back to January 10th, 2021 have been systematically adjusted in an attempt to account for fraudulent activity within the regular UI and PUA programs. These adjustments are reflected in the revisions announced today. Similar revisions for periods prior to the launch of MyUI+ are not possible given the switch in UI systems. As such, initial claims data for the week ending January 16th and onward should be treated as a series break.
**Continued claims are filed to request payment for a given week after eligibility has been established. Weeks claimed provide information as to current labor market conditions.
As with initial claims, continued claims data going back to January 10th, 2021 have been systematically adjusted in an attempt to account for fraudulent activity within the regular UI and PUA programs. These adjustments are reflected in the revisions announced today. Similar revisions for periods prior to the launch of MyUI+ are not possible given the switch in UI systems. As such, regular UI and PUA continued claims data for the week ending January 16th and onward should be treated as a series break. Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) continued claims data remain unchanged.
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