INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana reported an additional 30,300 unemployment claims in the last week, up from 29,600 claims in the previous week.
But the number of new claims being processed each week is slowing in Indiana and other parts of the country, according to the latest numbers released by the U.S. Department of Labor Thursday. More than 2.4 million unemployment claims were filed across the country, according to the report — a decrease from the 2.9 million who filed claims in the previous week.
Indiana saw a historic jump in the number of unemployment claims in March, when Gov. Eric Holcomb’s stay-at-home order required many businesses to close or cut back operations in an effort to slow disease spread. First-time unemployment claims peaked at a total of 139,174 for the week ending March 28.
The long-term toll of the shutdown is also becoming clear as the labor department releases new numbers. An estimated 38.6 million workers filed for unemployment in the last nine weeks, of which 670,000 were reported from Indiana. The U.S. unemployment rate stands at 17.2% for the week ending May 9, one of the highest rates since the Great Depression.
Indiana did not report any additional applications for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, program this week, which offers benefits to contractors, the self-employed and those working in the gig economy. These workers are not eligible for unemployment benefits under normal circumstances. More than 2.2 million people have filed for PUA benefits nationwide.
Much of the state is now on its way to reopening, however, allowing some workers to return to their jobs. In Wednesday’s virtual press briefing, Holcomb said he would sign an executive order allowing all counties except Marion, Lake and Cass to enter Stage 3 of Indiana’s five-step reopening plan on Friday.
In addition to opening new areas like playgrounds, campgrounds and community pools, the executive order also extends protections for residents by prohibiting evictions, foreclosures and utility shut offs until early July.
Thursday also marked the deadline for Hoosiers to apply for absentee ballots to vote in the June 2 primary election. While the state is allowing polls to open for early voting and on Election Day, Secretary of State Connie Lawson and other state officials have advised residents to request an absentee ballot if possible.
The secretary of state’s office confirmed in an email that 453,150 Hoosiers had requested an absentee ballot as of Thursday morning. That’s a sharp increase from the 2016 election, when around 53,000 people voted by absentee ballot.
