Over 19,000 Coloradans filed for unemployment last week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado's unemployment numbers continue to grow as COVID cases rise.

Last week, initial unemployment claims reached a level that the state hasn't seen since the beginning of May.

There were 19,024 initial unemployment claims statewide last week, an 11% increase from the week before.

In addition to the initial claims, there were 17,232 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims last week.

For the first time since July, continued unemployment claims increased statewide.

The newest county numbers show a 14.3% rise in initial claims in El Paso County. Pueblo County also saw a rise in initial claims, from Nov. 14 to Nov. 21 there was a 62.5% increase in claims.

Both Pueblo and El Paso County saw an increase in continued claims.

Between all of the state and federal assistance, $6.4 billion have been paid out to Coloradans in the form of jobless benefits since the end of March.

The foodservice industry has been hit the hardest, with restaurant workers accounting for 43.5% of the state's initial unemployment claims.

If you or someone you know is looking for work, go to Connecting Colorado.com. It's a state-ran site that aims to connect employers and potential employees. As of Thursday morning, there were over 72,000 job openings.