NJ Initial Unemployment Claims Drop 40 Percent

NEW JERSEY - The Garden State may be stalled in stage two of the road to recovery, with pause pressed on outdoor dining and transmission rate concerns being bandied about, but Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday there was a piece of hopeful news: The latest unemployment statistics.

In their report last week, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development report showed a more than 40 percent decrease in the number of initial unemployment claims.

"This is the lowest number we’ve seen since March and before the pandemic hit," Murphy said at his COVID-19 briefing.

Murphy said that since from March 21 through Aug. 1, 1.3 million people met the monetary requirement for benefits and 96 percent of them have received benefits. He also was quick to note that for those not in that 96 percent it was frustrating and asked for patience.

By the numbers, $13.2 billion were paid out in 20 weeks:

• $8 billion in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
• $3.9 billion NJ Unemployment Insurance Benefits
• $969 million Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
• $311 million Federal Pandemic Extended Unemployment Compensation
• $17 million NJ Extended Unemployment Benefits

"While we certainly have a long way to go, this decrease offers a glimmer of hope," Murphy said.

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