Pennsylvania’s Job Claims Ebbing Down

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s jobless claims, while still at a massively elevated level compared to a month ago, are finally showing signs of abating, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

For the week ending April 4, the state’s unemployment claims were 283,718. In contrast, for the week ending March 14 – before the coronavirus led to a series of social distancing measures that largely shut down the economy – Pennsylvania had only 15,439 claims.

The United States as a whole continued to see a massive surge as well, with 6.6 million new claims. California led all states with 925,450. Georgia had the biggest jump in claims, rising 190 percent from the previous week.

Pennsylvania’s total was down about 30 percent from the previous week, according to the Department of Labor, although still one of the highest weeks for claims in state history. For the week ending March 28, the state saw 404,677 claims; the week before that, it was 377,451.

Amid signs that the number of COVID-19 cases might be plateauing in some states, federal and state officials have begun talking in recent days about steps to restart the economy after the worst of the pandemic has passed. Such discussions have included allowing those who have recovered from infections to return to the workplace and possibly those who have tested negative for the virus and don’t have complicating risk factors.

Stimulus checks for individual taxpayers are set to start going out in about a week. Americans making less than $75,000 will get one-time checks for $1,200, while couples making less than $150,000 can expect to get $2,400, plus $500 for each child. Those whose earnings top those thresholds will get reduced payments, and individuals making more than $99,000 and couples making more than $198,000 do not get a stimulus check.