Maine reports increase in unemployment claims

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - The Maine Department of Labor saw an uptick in unemployment claims for the week ending July 11th, which the Department says is expected this time of year. Still, due to widespread fraud across the country, the Department is investigating.

The Labor Department says it received about 4,600 initial claims for state unemployment last week. Another roughly 3,400 initial claims were filed for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Overall, 60,000 continued claims were filed last week for state benefits, and nearly 24,000 were filed under PUA.

Last week about 300 initial claims and 1,800 weekly certifications were determined to be fake.

The state has paid roughly $1.1 billion in benefits since mid-March.

That’s about $25 million more than all of last year.

Starting next month, Mainers must show they’re actively looking for work in order to qualify for unemployment benefits. The work search requirement goes back into effect August 9th. It has been waived since the start of the pandemic.