Continued jobless claims fall sharply in Maine | Lewiston Sun Journal - The Bethel Citizen

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The number of claims for continued unemployment assistance dipped last week as layoffs and joblessness remain high in Maine.

About 70,700 claims for continued assistance were filed in Maine in the second week of August, about 7,000 fewer than the prior week, according to the Maine Department of Labor. That’s a decline of about 8 percent.

But the number of new claims remained about the same, with 1,500 Mainers requesting jobless benefits, the department reported Thursday.

Nationally, the number of jobless claims filed last week rose to 1.1 million following two weeks of declines, evidence that many employers in other states are still slashing jobs as the coronavirus bedevils the U.S. economy, according to The Associated Press. That doesn’t appear to be happening in Maine, where outbreaks of COVID-19 have remained largely under control.

Last week was the first time since March that Mainers receiving unemployment claims had to certify they were looking for new work. The requirement only applies to those who lost their job, and not for those who are still connected to their employer and expect to be called back to work.

The state labor department has not said whether it will apply for a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide an added $300 per week for eligible claimants, plus another $100 in optional state funds.

That program was established under a presidential order and funded with $44 billion in disaster assistance funds. So far, grants to at least seven states have been approved by FEMA, but the agency says it could be at least three weeks before added benefits are available. Some analysts say there is only enough funding in the program to last a few weeks once implemented.

This story will be updated.

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U.S. jobless claims jump back above 1 million in face of virus

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