NJ Labor Department has distributed $10.7B in unemployment benefits since start of pandemic
NEW JERSEY – The Department of Labor and Workforce Development has issued $10.7 billion in benefits to unemployed and underemployed New Jersey workers since the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the state’s economy 17 weeks ago.
Last week alone, the department disbursed $825 million in state and federal income replacement benefits, including $2.2 million in the first week of state extended benefit payments. Double-digit unemployment amid COVID-19 has triggered 20 weeks of extended benefits the state is permitted by federal law to offer to those who have exhausted all other state and federal unemployment aid without returning to work permanently.
“In times of economic distress and employment uncertainty, it’s important to be able to offer an additional 20-week safety net to our residents who remain out of work through no fault of their own,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “Everyone receiving unemployment will automatically be rolled over to the extended program when their benefits expire. They do not have to make a phone call or go online, except to keep certifying for benefits every week.”
Also last week, 38,150 initial unemployment applications were received, bringing the total to nearly 1.4 million initial claims since mid-March. The 20 percent week-over-week decrease in initial claims is due, in part, to fewer school-related and state employee claims, a big driver of the claims spike for the week ending July 4.
The number of applicants who have met the earnings requirements to receive benefits has risen to 1.2 million, with 96 percent of them having received payment.
The weekly totals of new unemployment claims are:
| March 15 – 21 | 155,815 |
| March 22 – 28 | 206,253 |
| March 29 – April 4 | 214,836 |
| April 5 – 11 | 141,420 |
| April 12 – 18 | 140,139 |
| April 19 – 25 | 71,996 |
| April 26 – May 2 | 83,326 |
| May 3 – May 9 | 69,689 |
| May 10 – 16 | 42,365 |
| May 17 – 23 | 34,410 |
| May 24 – 30 | 26,752 |
| May 31 – June 6 | 23,166 |
| June 7 – 13 | 26,392 |
| June 14 -20 | 33,004 |
| June 21 – 27 | 27,965 |
| June 28 – July 4 | 47,391 |
| July 5 – 11 | 38,150* |
| TOTAL | 1,388,069 |
*This represents the final number for the week ended July 11. The number listed for NJ by US Department of Labor – 37,336 – is based on advanced reporting.
Below is the weekly breakdown of payments (in millions):
| Week | NJ UI Payment | FPUC Payment | PUA Payment | PEUC Payment | EB Payment |
| March 16 – 20 | $47.4 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| March 23 – 27 | $57.9 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| March 30 – April 3 | $89.8 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| April 6 – 10 | $140.7 | $154.8 | NA | NA | NA |
| April 13 – 17 | $179.7 | $238.8 | NA | NA | NA |
| April 20 – 24 | $211.1 | $296.3 | NA | NA | NA |
| April 27 – May 1 | $171.7 | $291.1 | $27.1 | NA | NA |
| May 2 – May 8 | $244.7 | $502.4 | $51.6 | NA | NA |
| May 10 -16 | $239.7 | $414.0 | $55.6 | NA | NA |
| May 17 – 23 | $236.2 | $596.9 | $112.3 | NA | NA |
| May 24 – 30 | $242.7 | $553.5 | $87.7 | NA | NA |
| May 31 – June 6 | $255.5 | $635.2 | $56.6 | $56.6 | NA |
| June 7 – 13 | $244.5 | $573.8 | $60.7 | $46.5 | NA |
| June 14 – 20 | $248.9 | $626.1 | $86.6 | $37.4 | NA |
| June 21 – 27 | $240.4 | $559.7 | $73.5 | $31.7 | NA |
| June 28 – July 4 | $202.9 | $536.1 | $71.7 | $31.8 | NA |
| July 5 – 11 | $208.5 | $521.3 | $69.1 | $24.4 | $2.2 |
| TOTAL | $3,262.3 | $6,500.0 | $752.5 | $228.4 | $2.2 |
NA: Benefit not applicable during the indicated weeks.
FPUC, PUA and PEUC are federal programs authorized by Congress under the CARES Act. FPUC provides an additional $600 weekly benefit to anyone collecting unemployment for weeks ending April 4 through July 25. PUA provides benefits to newly eligible populations such as self-employed workers, independent contractors and those who do not have enough recent earnings to qualify for regular unemployment benefits, as well as for newly qualifying reasons such as being unable to work because due to caring for others or for their own COVID-19 illness. PEUC provides 13 weeks of federal benefits for those who have exhausted 26 weeks of state unemployment. State extended benefits (EB) automatically offers an additional 20 weeks of assistance once PEUC ends.
For more information on state or federal unemployment programs, click here and for more information on benefit extensions, click here.
Claimants collecting unemployment must certify for benefits each week to continue to receive payments. Information on certifying for unemployment can be found here.
Anyone looking for work is encouraged to visit New Jersey’s jobs portal — jobs.covid19.nj.gov — which matches jobseekers with immediate openings in industries such as food distribution, warehousing and health care. For national unemployment data, click here and for archived NJ claims data, click here.
