$29.8 million paid to unemployed Coloradans in 1 week; 127,000 claims filed in last 3 weeks
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) reports over the past three weeks more than 127,000 Coloradans filed unemployment claims in the last three weeks.
More than 46,000 of those claims were filed in the week ending April 4. The state has also paid $29.8 million in benefits for the week of April 4.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, officials say an average of $8.7 million was paid out for prior weeks in 2020.
The CDLE told KRDO on Wednesday it expected that nearly a quarter-million Coloradans would have filed unemployment claims by the end of this week. Officials say that number is the expected amount of claims since March 16.
Here are the top claims and benefits paid by industry in Colorado as of March 21:
- Accommodation and Food Services: 12,411
- Healthcare and Social Service: 2,560
- Other Services: 1,672
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation: 1,415
- Retail Trade: 1,014
The CDLE says it paid out about $19 million in benefits on a weekly basis during the height of the Great Recession in 2009-2010. Officials say the highest monthly total of benefits paid out was $102.8 million in May 2009.
