First-time unemployment claims in New Hampshire rise as 2022 begins

When it comes to employment in New Hampshire, something’s happening here, but what it is, isn’t exactly clear.

Unemployment numbers in New Hampshire – which appeared to have bottomed out around Thanksgiving – seem to be increasing, though the state still seems to be below pre-pandemic levels.

Some 3,461 Granite Staters collected jobless benefits during the last week of 2021, up nearly 28 percent compared to the week before. It’s unclear if this is just a post-holiday slump or if the latest Omicron surge or if supply chain issues are the culprit.

Initial unemployment claims also seem to be going up, especially during that same week end-of-year week, but they fell a week later, during the week ending Jan 8. Some 623 individuals lost their jobs that week, down from a reported 950 the week before.

Of course, this is much better than the 39,000 Granite Staters laid off at the peak of the pandemic, but in line with what was going on beforehand.

Nationally, initial claims also climbed, to 230,000, up 11 percent since a week ago and up by a quarter compared to Thanksgiving, which was the lowest level since September of 1969.