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Total number of initial unemployment claims rose slightly last week from the previous week, however initial claims remained well below last year’s torrid pace in January.
Initial claims rose by just 805 between week three and four of 2010, 4,400 less than in the same week a year ago.
The high point of initial claims during this period came in the last reporting week of 2008, when 21,192 initial claims were filed. The first week of this year saw a similar high level of initial claims.
January is typically a higher month of claims activity due to a change in quarter (when some will qualify for a new claim) and seasonal layoffs. As initial claims remain steady, although at a high number, the total number of individuals on unemployment continue to go up.
More than 217,000 claimed benefits, up more than 2,000 from the previous week and more than 65,000 from the same time a year ago. Part of the increase from last year is due to the expansion of extended benefits which has allowed people to receive unemployment benefits for longer, and part of the increase is due to the increase in the number of people exhausting regular benefits and claiming extended benefits.
On the employment side, iMatchSkills.org (a service of WorkSource Oregon) currently has 4,211 total job listings representing 9,033 job openings. Job openings can be viewed online at www.WorkingInOregon.org.
