Category Archives: News Releases

Idaho Labor Clears Unemployment Pending Claims Backlog

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: July 22, 2020
Media Contact: Darlene Carnopis, darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov

Record Number of Initial Claims Continues to be Filed

The Idaho Department of Labor has cleared the 42,000 unemployment insurance claims that had been pending as of June 6. Issues that remain now are more complicated – such as working to prevent identity theft – and await additional information from claimants or previous employers. 

Unemployment staff continue to work on processing the high volume of claims being filed. A higher percentage of new claims are being filed each week than ever before. Approximately 3,800 claims were filed each week on average in 2009 – the height of Great Recession. Currently, the four-week average is approximately 5,000 claims.  Continue reading →

Idaho Unemployment Falls to 5.6 Percent in June

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: July 17, 2020
Media Contact: Craig Shaul, craig.shaul@labor.idaho.gov or Karen Jarboe Singletary, karen.jarboesingletary@labor.idaho.gov

Nonfarm Jobs Recover 3.5 Percent

Idaho’s nonfarm payrolls regained 24,800 jobs and the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent as the state’s economy continued to reopen.

June’s unemployment rate dropped 3.4 percentage points from a revised rate of 9 percent in May and down from April’s historic high of 11.8 percent. Previous peak unemployment rates include 10.2 percent for December of 1982 and 9.6 percent for June of 2016 – the Great Recession peak.

The number of unemployed Idahoans fell by 28,961 to 50,267 as total employment recovered by 38,885 to 841,898, up 4.8 percent from May.

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$600 Federal Unemployment Benefit to End July 25

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 16, 2020
Media Contact: Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov or Darlene Carnopis, darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov

The extra $600 per week currently provided to Idaho unemployment insurance claimants through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program ends July 25.

Under federal guidelines, the week ending July 25 is the final claim week for the FPUC program, however eligible claimants who are waiting on back pay will receive those payments after that date.

Other unemployment programs under the CARES Act will continue. Details on those programs and their deadlines can be found at labor.idaho.gov/Covid19. Continue reading →

Idaho’s Weekly Initial Claims Increase 11 Percent from Previous Week

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 16, 2020
Media Contact: Craig Shaul, Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov or Salvador Vazquez, Salvador.Vazquez@labor.idaho.gov

New initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits totaled 5,458 for the week ending July 11, increasing 11 percent – or 534 claims – from the previous week.

The four-week moving average rose 10 percent to an average of 5,021 new initial claims per week.

Continued claims – the number of people who requested a benefit payment – dropped by 6 percent from the previous week to 28,766, the 10th consecutive week of declines. The four-week moving average for continued claims also fell 6 percent from 32,450 for the week ending July 4 to 30,451 for the week ending July 11.

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Idaho’s Hispanic Population Growth Continues in 2019

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 14, 2020
Media Contact: Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov or Kathryn Tacke, kathryn.tacke@labor.idaho.gov

Idaho’s Hispanic population grew faster than the state’s population in 2019, according to estimates recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of Hispanics in Idaho rose 3.3 percent from 222,206 in 2018 to 229,490 in 2019, while the total population grew 2.1 percent.

From 2010 to 2019, the state’s Hispanic population grew 30.5 percent, while its total population grew 14 percent.

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Awards Ceremony to Recognize Idaho’s Top Volunteers and Philanthropists

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 9, 2020
Media Contact: Renee Bade, renee.bade@labor.idaho.gov

Serve Idaho, the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, is partnering with the Idaho Nonprofit Center’s annual Idaho Philanthropy Day.

The event will recognize Idaho’s top volunteers and philanthropists with a series of ceremonies that will take place in November in northern, southwestern and eastern Idaho. The event will replace the annual Idaho’s Brightest Stars ceremony in Boise previously hosted by Serve Idaho.

“We are excited for this amazing opportunity to partner with the Idaho Nonprofit Center and other partners to recognize Idaho residents who give of their time, talents and treasures to better their communities” said Renee Bade, Serve Idaho program supervisor.

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Idaho’s Weekly Initial Claims Decline 9 Percent from Previous Week

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 9, 2020
Media Contact: Craig Shaul, Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov or Salvador Vazquez, Salvador.Vazquez@labor.idaho

New initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits totaled 4,924 for the week ending July 4, decreasing 9 percent – or 493 claims – from the previous week.

The four-week moving average rose 6 percent to an average of 4,564 new initial claims per week.

Continued claims – the number of people who requested a benefit payment – dropped by 6 percent from the previous week to 29,090, the ninth consecutive week of declines. The four-week moving average fell 13 percent from 37,122 to 32,450 for the week ending July 4.

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Idaho’s Weekly Initial Claims Increase from Previous Week

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 2, 2020
Media Contact: Darlene Carnopis, darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov

New initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits totaled 5,417 for the week ending June 27, increasing 26 percent – or 1,132 claims – from the previous week.

The four-week moving average rose 11 percent to an average of 4,322 new initial claims per week.

Continued claims – the number of people who requested a benefit payment – dropped by 7 percent from the previous week to 30,866, the eighth consecutive week of declines. The four-week moving average for continued claims also fell 12 percent from 42,160 for the week ending June 20 to 37,122 for the week ending June 27.

Continue reading →

Labor Department Clears 85 Percent of Pending Unemployment Claims

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 1, 2020
Media Contact: Darlene Carnopis, darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor has cleared about 85 percent of 42,000 pending claims, as of June 6, and expects to work through the remaining 5,500 pending claims by mid-July.

A total of 120 Maximus call center agents are now working with department staff to answer phones and re-set passwords among other tasks. With increased staffing, wait times have been cut in half and most calls are now being answered. Call volumes have significantly decreased as backlogs reduce.

Continue reading →

Idaho Initiates Federal-State Extended Benefits

News Release

For Immediate Release: June 26, 2020
Media Contact: Darlene Carnopis, darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Salvador Vazquez, salvador.vazquez@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor is starting to notify unemployed workers who will exhaust extended benefits under the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program that they can apply for additional benefits through the Federal-State Extended Benefit program.

Claimants must first exhaust all benefits available to them under the regular benefit program paid through the state and the PEUC program before they apply for Federal-State Extended Benefits.

Continue reading →