Federal unemployment benefits set to end in coming weeks
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Thousands of Coloradans could lose their federal unemployment benefits in the coming weeks.
This all comes as unemployment numbers rise around the state.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is set to expire at the end of the year with the last payable week ending on December 26.
PUA started under the CARES Act and provides benefits to gig workers, those who are self-employed and contractors.
For the week ending on December 5, there were 17,232 PUA claims statewide.
Unless action is taken by Congress soon, thousands of Coloradans are in jeopardy of losing their unemployment benefits.
Two other unemployment programs are also set to expire at the end of the year.
The Federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which provides an additional 12 weeks of benefits, and the work-share program will expire in the coming weeks.
The work-share program allows employers to keep their employees working, but with fewer hours.
A number of Congressional packages are in discussion right now, and some look to extend the programs into 2021. Even if action is taken, there will still likely be a gap in benefits while the system updates.
Over 19,000 Coloradans filed initial unemployment claims during the week of December 5, which was an 11% increase from the week before.
The new county numbers show initial claims in El Paso County grew 14% and Pueblo County saw a 62% rise in claims at the end of November.
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.
