Money Matters: Slight increase in Colorado unemployment numbers

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The number of new unemployment claims in Colorado increased last week compared to the previous weeks.

A little over 10,500 people filed for unemployment last week in Colorado.

The state saw a more than 25% increase over the previous weeks, in which there were 7,800 new claims for the week ending on July 4.

Despite thousands of claims still coming in, claims have significantly dropped from the peak back in mid-April.

The newest El Paso County numbers show that 978 filed for unemployment during the week of June 27.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment has paid out $3.5 billion in benefits since March.

The restaurant industry continues to see the highest unemployment claim numbers.

Nationally, unemployment claims have been on the decline for over three months, but they remain significantly higher than before the arrival of COVID-19.