New unemployment claims jump in Clinton County

HARRISBURG, PA – The number of initial unemployment insurance claims by Clinton County residents increased significantly during the week ending Feb. 6, 2021, according to information released Friday by the state Department of Labor & Industry. The continued claims number for the county remained relatively steady.

The state reported that 232 county residents filed initial claims during the one-week period ending Feb. 6. The construction field accounted for 29% of the claims, and 60% were male. During the same time period in 2020, 74 people filed initial claims.

Continued claims fell slightly from the 1,045 recorded Jan. 30 to 1,028 listed on Feb. 6. Almost 30% of the continued claims were in the construction sector, and 61% were male. There were 705 continued claims one year ago.

The state also said 20 county residents had their unemployment insurance benefits expire as of Feb. 6. In the last five weeks, over 200 residents had their benefits exhausted.

Clinton County’s December unemployment rate was 6.6%, down from a pandemic period high of 16.6% in April. The January 2021 rates for all 67 counties should be released at the end of February.