DOL numbers indicate that 32.4 million workers are either receiving unemployment benefits or have applied and are waiting to see if they will get benefits (as of September 5, 2020): *Caution---this is an overestimate due to reporting issues (see note)*
| Regular state UI: Continued claims | Regular state UI: Initial claims | PUA: Continued claims | PUA: Initial claims | Other programs (mostly PEUC, STC, and EB) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative | 13,385,000 | 884,000 | 14,591,621 | 1,586,909 | 1,945,913 | 0 |
Notes: This is an overestimate of the number of people “on” UI, for two reasons: (1) regular state UI and PUA claims should be nonoverlapping—that is how DOL has directed agencies to report them—but some individuals are erroneously being counted as being in both programs; (2) some states are including some back weeks in their continuing PUA claims, which would also lead to double-counting.
This is an overestimate of the number of people “on” UI, for two reasons: (1) regular state UI and PUA claims should be nonoverlapping—that is how DOL has directed agencies to report them—but some individuals are erroneously being counted as being in both programs; (2) some states are including some back weeks in their continuing PUA claims, which would also lead to double-counting. Seasonally adjusted data are not available for the other components of the chart. Regular state UI continued claims are for the week ending August 29; regular state UI initial claims are for the week ending September 5. PUA continued claims are for the week ending August 22; PUA initial claims are for the weeks ending August 29 and September 5. "Other programs" are continued claims in other programs for the week ending August 22. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is the federal program for workers who are out of work because of the virus but who are not eligible for regular state unemployment insurance (UI) benefits (e.g., the self-employed). “Other programs” includes PEUC, STC, EB, and others; a full list can be found in the bottom panel of the table on page 4 at this link: https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf.
Source: Department of Labor (DOL) Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims (News Release), retrieved from DOL, https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf, September 10, 2020.