* AP…

The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid rose slightly last week to 870,000, a historically high figure that shows that the viral pandemic is still squeezing restaurants, airlines, hotels and many other businesses six months after it first erupted.

The figure coincides with evidence that some newly laid-off Americans are facing delays in receiving unemployment benefits as state agencies intensify efforts to combat fraudulent applications and clear their pipelines of a backlog of jobless claims.

California has said it will stop processing new applications for two weeks as it seeks to reduce backlogs and prevent fraudulent claims. Pennsylvania has found that up to 10,000 inmates are improperly receiving aid.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of people who are continuing to receive unemployment benefits declined to 12.6 million. The steady decline in that figure over the past several months reflects that some of the unemployed are being re-hired. Yet it also indicates that others have exhausted their regular jobless aid, which last six months in most states.

* Duncan Black…

Peak new claims in the Great Recession was 665K. Every weekly report since March 26 has been higher than that.

* CBS 2…

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 23,113 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Sept. 14 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday.

While this number is based on advanced estimates, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will be releasing a final number later Thursday. […]

There were 27,384 new unemployment claims were filed in Illinois during the week of Sept. 7.

* WalletHub looks at where Illinois stands in relation to other states. 1 equals the quickest recover and 25 is the average…

• 253.52% Change in Unemployment Claims (Latest Week vs Last Year)

o 23,113 the week of September 14, 2020 vs 6,538 the week of September 16, 2019
o 19th quickest recovery in the U.S.

• 96.22% Change in Unemployment Claims (Latest Week vs Start of 2020)

o 23,113 the week of September 14, 2020 vs 11,779 the week of January 1, 2020
o 26th quickest recovery in the U.S.

• 762.89% Change in Unemployment Claims (Since Start of COVID-19 Crisis vs Last Year)

o 1,671,157 between the week of March 16, 2020 and the week of September 14, 2020 vs 219,055 between the week of March 18, 2019 and the week of September 16, 2019
o 4th quickest recovery in the U.S.

More here.

*** UPDATE *** IDES…

The number of nonfarm jobs decreased over-the-year in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in August, with five metro areas at record low payrolls for that month, according to preliminary data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The unemployment rate increased over-the-year in all metro areas and to record highs for the month of August in two metros. The official, BLS approved sub-state unemployment rate and nonfarm jobs series begins in 1990. Data reported prior to 1990 are not directly comparable due to updates in methodology.

“With the state’s COVID-19 mitigation plan in place, we are working hard to keep people safe while restoring confidence in and strengthening our economy,” said Deputy Governor Dan Hynes. “IDES is continuing to work tirelessly to support working families by connecting them to job training and workforce matching programs and ensuring benefits get to those impacted by this pandemic.”

The number of nonfarm jobs decreased in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas. Total nonfarm jobs were down in Peoria (-11.0%, -19,000), Elgin (-9.7%, -25,300) and Decatur (-8.4%, -4,300). In Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, jobs were down -7.6% (-291,600). No industry sector saw job gains in a majority of metro areas.

Not seasonally adjusted data compares August 2020 with August 2019. The not seasonally adjusted Illinois rate was 10.9 percent in August 2020 and the highest August unemployment rate since 1983, when it was 11.3 percent. The official, BLS approved, statewide unemployment rate series begins in 1976. Nationally, the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in August 2020 and the highest August unemployment rate since 2011, when it was 9.1. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment.