Initial unemployment claims in Maine rise, following national trend

AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - Initial claims for state unemployment insurance jumped to their highest level since the summer.

The Maine Department of Labor reports there were 2,996 claims filed for state aid during the week ending December 5th. That’s the highest they’ve been since the week ending July 11th, when 4,629 claims were filed.

At its peak, there were nearly 30,889 claims filed during a week-long stretch in the spring.

At a national level, the number of people applying for unemployment aid jumped last week to 853,000, the most since September.

The DOL reports another 1,200 initial claims were filed for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

About 12,600 weekly certifications were filed for state aid, with 16,800 continued claims filed under PUA.

In addition, 13,000 weekly certifications were filed for the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program last week.

There were 70 claims filed for the state Extended Benefits program, too.

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