New unemployment filings in Florida fall to lowest since pandemic began

Newly filed applications for unemployment assistance in Florida last week hit their lowest level since the pandemic began, the U.S. Department of Labor reported. It’s an early sign that the worst of the economic pain caused by the coronavirus outbreak may have passed.

Out-of-work Floridians filed 55,106 new claims for jobless assistance for the week ending Aug. 8 — a decrease of more than 23,000 from the previous week and the lowest figure since the week ending March 14. The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11.

Nationally, claims also hit a new low since the pandemic was declared, falling 228,000 week-on-week to 963,000. It’s the first time new weekly claims in the U.S. have fallen below one million since the week ending March 14.

Florida workers who filed for assistance for at least two consecutive weeks also fell — by more than 100,000, to about 531,000. That’s the lowest figure for Florida since May.

But even with the decrease in people applying for first-time jobless benefits, the economy is still suffering. Before the pandemic, the typical number for new claims was about 5,000 in Florida and about 210,000 in the U.S.

And with the expiration of $600 in federal unemployment assistance, economic uncertainty remains.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated this week he was looking into a loan from the U.S. Department of Labor to enhance unemployment assistance to out-of-work Floridians. This would be an alternative to taking on the terms of President Donald Trump’s executive order, which entails having states kick in $100 for every $300 sent down by Washington. DeSantis said this was “not an option” for Florida due to existing funding obligations.

And even if their pace has slowed, layoffs continue.

Worker Readjustment and Training, or WARN, notices indicating layoffs filed last week included 1,350 separations at Hilton-branded properties in Orlando; 484 layoffs at Frontier Airlines; and 54 layoffs from the parent company of Avianca airline. WARN notices must be filed by companies with 100 or more workers.