Fraction of Jobless-Aid Claims Paid in March, New DOL Data Shows

Federal data shows that 14% of workers who filed for unemployment insurance benefits in March received payment that month, as the unprecedented surge of pandemic-driven layoffs began to inundate state labor departments nationwide.

Approximately 1.7 million of the 11.8 million new workers who filed claims in March got unemployment checks before the month ended, according to Labor Department statistics made available this week. The rates of new claimants who received their first benefits check in March varied significantly from state to state, with Rhode Island’s 51% the highest, while Arizona, Florida, Indiana, and Minnesota were on the low end, at ...