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Michigan unemployment claims drop to the lowest level since the start of the pandemic

Detroit Free Press - 4/1/2021

New unemployment claims in Michigan have dropped to their lowest level since the start of the pandemic, even as jobless claims rose across the U.S.

New claims in Michigan declined to 10,028 in the week ending March 27, down from 12,765 the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

U.S. unemployment claims increased to 719,000 last week, up from 658,000 the week prior, their lowest level in the pandemic, on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Last year at this time, there were about 304,000 new claims in Michigan. A week later, new claims hit their pandemic peak, with nearly 400,000 claims in one week.

New jobless claims have fallen since hitting that peak, hovering between 11,000 to 12,000 for the past month. That's the lowest they've dropped to in the pandemic, although that's still more than twice as high as they were just before the pandemic.

That could change if restrictions are reimposed, likely leading to layoffs.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging in Michigan — the state ranks worst in the nation for cases per capita over the last week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State officials have defended the recent easing of restrictions but said they are watching the numbers closely.

When asked at a briefing Wednesday whether restrictions would be put back into place, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel said while the increase in cases was higher than expected, she hoped the spike would be small.

"So until we get to a point where we believe we are at a place that our hospitals cannot handle the capacity that is coming in, we will continue to urge the mitigation measures in place so that we can continue to re-engage," Hertel said.

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Just as COVID-19 cases are increasing in Michigan, several temporary changes to state jobless benefits that expanded coverage during the pandemic have expired.

A piece of state law expired Wednesday that offered benefits to those who are immune-compromised and are in self-isolation, someone who has displayed a symptom of, or has, COVID-19 and those who are taking care of a person with COVID-19, among other categories, the state's Unemployment Insurance Agency said.

Moving forward, filers in these situations may still be able to claim federal benefits.

A provision that offered claimants 28 days to file for benefits after their last day of work also has expired, reverting to the traditional 14 days.

Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan unemployment claims drop to the lowest level since the start of the pandemic

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