ESDWAGOV - Monthly initial and continuing unemployment insurance claims report for November 2021

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12/9/2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Dec. 9, 2021
Email media inquiries: media@esd.wa.gov

Slight and steady: 4-week moving average for regular initial claims increase, regular continued claims decrease

OLYMPIA – For the 4-week moving average ending Nov. 27, 2021, compared to the previous 4-week moving average ending Oct. 30:

Regular initial claims increased by 189 to a total of 5,461. The increase is likely due to seasonal layoffs, primarily in the construction and agriculture industries.
Regular continued claims decreased by 5,686 to a total of 45,162. The steady decrease over the past few months reflects improvement and recovery in the labor market, especially on the demand side as employers look to hold on to workers. This 4-week moving average for regular continued claims is the lowest since the start of the pandemic.

The 4-week moving average is designed to show trends over time. The data cover regular initial and regular continued claims for the weeks ending: Nov. 6, Nov. 13, Nov. 20. 23 and Nov. 27. See the tables below.

Continued claims are the total of all weeks benefits were claimed. See a more detailed definition in the Data disclaimer and definitions section below.

From Nov. 1 to Nov. 30, 2021, ESD paid more than $77.5 million in regular benefit payments to over 46,554 thousand Washingtonians.

4-week summary of regular initial claims

By industry

Seasonal increases in layoffs in construction and farming, fishing and forestry occupations contributed to an increase of 189 regular initial claims over the previous 4-week average of regular initial claims in October 2021. Industry sectors experiencing the highest number of regular initial claims during the 4-week period ending Nov. 27, 2021, were:

Construction: 7,001.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting: 1,995.
Manufacturing: 1,912.
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services: 1,606.
Retail trade: 1,419.

By occupation

Seasonal increases in layoffs in construction and extraction occupations, and farming, fishing and forestry occupations contributed to an increase of 189 regular initial claims over the previous 4-week average of regular initial claims in October 2021. Occupations experiencing the highest number of regular initial claims during the 4-week period ending Nov. 27, 2021, were:

Construction and extraction occupations: 6,985.
Management occupations: 1,944.
Transportation and material moving occupations: 1,815.
Farming, fishing and forestry occupations: 1,750.
Office and administrative support occupations: 1,363.

By county

King County, the most populous county in the state, had the largest amount of regular initial claims, 3,627, for the 4-week period ending Nov. 27, 2021.

Other counties with the largest number of initial claims during the same 4-week period include:

Pierce County: 2,459.
Yakima County: 1,855.
Snohomish County: 1,852.
Spokane County: 1,419.

More information

For complete data showing weekly initial claims by industry sector and county for the year to date, check the weekly unemployment initial claims charts. These charts are compiled by ESD’s Labor Market & Economic Analysis Division.
For more information about specific counties, contact one of ESD’s regional local economists.
Find detailed claims data on the ESD website.

ESD will send out the next monthly initial claims news release at 10 a.m. PST on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.

Table 1: 4-week moving averages

Unemployment claim type	Week ending Nov. 27, 2021	Week ending Oct. 30, 2021	Week ending Nov. 30, 2020	Week ending Nov. 30, 2019
Regular unemployment insurance initial claims	5,461	5,272	17,203	7,882
Continued or ongoing weekly claims for regular benefits	45,162	50,848	148,638	49,528
Total – regular initial and continued claims	50,623	56,120	165,841	57,410

Note: You can find detailed claims data anytime on the ESD website.

Table 2: 4-week average of statewide regular initial claims filed since March 7, 2020

Table 3

Table 4

Data disclaimer and definitions

Per U.S. Department of Labor regulations, weekly unemployment claims data are not available until the Thursday following the claim week.

Initial claims include:

First-time claims.
Additional claims filed as a result of a new unemployment event.
Those still being reviewed for eligibility.

Counts for initial claims do not indicate eligibility or that ESD will pay benefits.

Continued claims are the total of all weeks benefits were claimed. The total does not necessarily mean that benefits were paid. Payment status might be uncertain or unknown for many reasons. For example, reasons might include status of waiting weeks, partial weeks, weeks with penalties issued, and weeks with monetary or nonmonetary issues pending. 

4-week moving average is the average across the preceding 4-week period. Moving averages are used to smooth fluctuations in time.