New jobless claims rise slightly in New Hampshire, but outlook remains favorable

Although there was an uptick in new jobless claims in New Hampshire for the week ending May 29, continuing unemployment claims, both state and federal, continue to decline at a relatively steady rate – a sign that the state’s employment situation continues to improve.

For the week, there were 844 new state claims filed in New Hampshire, according to federal Department of Labor statistics released. That’s a 17% increase over the number reported the week before, but it follows three large double-digit percentage decreases.

But the number of continuing claims filed the previous week, ending May 22, fell by 5.5%, to 15,825, after more than a 4percent decline the week before.

To look at it another way, more than 7 people returned to work in one week for each person who lost their job the next week.

Meanwhile, federal continuing claims for the week ending May 15, fell 5%, to 7,891, after decreasing nearly 4% the week before. Most of the individuals receiving federal jobless benefits were self-employed, but a good chunk are those who had to stay home for Covid-related reasons, mainly to provide care to a dependent.

Extended benefit claims filed for the week ending May 15 fell by 4.2%, to 6,089, after going down by about the same percentage the week.

Both federal expanded and extended jobless benefits will be cut off starting June 19, according to Gov. Chris Sununu’s decision to end the assistance before the official federal Labor Day deadline.