Unemployment claims in El Paso County rise 50%
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Initial unemployment claims in El Paso County rose over 50% from November 21 to November 28.
During that same time, claims in Pueblo County increased by 19%.
The food industry has been hit the hardest as Level Red restrictions prohibit indoor dining. Last week, 45% of Colorado's unemployment claims came from restaurant workers.
Statewide, nearly 20,000 Coloradans filed for unemployment last week, a 4% increase compared to the week before.
Over 20,000 more filed Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims, marking the second-highest week ever of PUA claims in Colorado.
PUA benefits are set to expire at the end of this year, with the last payable week on December 26.
If you are looking for work, or are in need of resources while you search for a job, the state has set up programs that can help.
Connecting Colorado connects employers to potential employees. As of Friday morning, there were over 74,000 job postings.
WorkForce Centers around the state work help give people access to computers to work on resumes and they also offer career counseling.
Other job-seeking resources can be found here.