As the nation emerges from lockdowns imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, new unemployment claims continue to decline.
The number of Michigan residents receiving unemployment checks decreased by 130,927 claims between the weeks ending June 13 and June 20. Advance claims for the week ending June 20 were 595,995 claims, compared to 726,992 claims the week ending June 13.
The decrease is just shy of an 18 percent drop week over week.
Also, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics released Thursday, 2,510 fewer Michigan residents applied for new unemployment claims in the week ending June 20 than the previous week.
DOL data reports 18,783 Michigan residents filed new unemployment claims last week, compared to 21,293 claims filed the week ending June 13.
Nationally, new claims for the week ending June 20 also declined. The advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 1,480,000, a decrease of 60,000 claims from the previous week’s revised level.
As of June 20, the DOL reports, approximately 19.5 million Americans continue to file for unemployment benefits.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate nationwide was 13.4 percent for the week ending June 13, a decrease of 0.5 percentage point from the previous week’s revised rate.
