Arizona is experiencing a record high for unemployment insurance payments.
According to the Department of Economic Security, Arizonans were paid more than $26.9 million last week as a result of people applying for benefits for job losses related to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, $55 million in benefits was distributed to people that filed a weekly claim on Sunday.
These claims included the weekly supplemental $600 in benefits referred to as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program, provided by the CARES Act.
In addition to the record high payments, DES is reporting record number of applications, benefits paid and calls received.
"We know from these numbers that this is an extremely challenging time for Arizonans, and the Department of Economic Security is working hard to process unemployment claims as quickly as possible," said Tom Betlach, from the Office of the Director.
By the Numbers (week ending April 11):
- 95,382 Initial Claims
- 164,483 Continued Weekly Claims
- 22,000 Calls Answered (highest on record)
In Comparison: (week ending March 14):
- 3,844 Initial Claims
- 17,595 Continued Weekly Claims
- 3,400 Calls Answered
*Weekly Claims report can be found at azui.com.
