Nevada, Virginia See Unemployment Spikes

By: - July 30, 2020 12:00 am

Unemployed Las Vegas workers protest delays in benefits in June. Nevada had the biggest two-week increase in unemployment claims. Damairs Carter/Mediapunch via The Associated Press

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Nevada, Virginia and New Mexico are seeing the biggest jumps in new unemployment claims as a new wave of closings prompts more layoffs, according to figures released today by the Department of Labor for the week ending July 25.

Nevada claims rose almost 50% in two weeks, to about 22,000, with Virginia up 44% and New Mexico up 21%. However, states with coronavirus spikes such as Florida and Texas saw continued drops in claims. Florida’s claims were down 34% and Texas down 28%.

Nationally claims were up for the second straight week, to 1.4 million.

Nevada is struggling to find alternatives to an unemployment fund that’s expected to run dry within weeks, with a wave of new business closings fueling more unemployment.

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Tim Henderson
Tim Henderson

Tim Henderson covers demographics for Stateline. He has been a reporter at the Miami Herald, the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Journal News.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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