| June 21, 2010
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CLAIMS
The number of initial claims (IC) for unemployment insurance in the 13-county Gulf Coast Workforce Development Area this May was 19.9 percent less than in May ’09, Workforce Solutions reports. This represented the fifth consecutive over-the-year drop. However, “there are still local announcements of layoffs in city and county government jobs and in local school districts, so some increase in IC and the number of insured unemployed could occur in the latter half of 2010,” says Joel Wagher of Workforce Solutions.
Continued claims dropped 26.0 percent from May ’09 to May ’10. However, the significance of the decline in continued claims is less clear than for initial claims because expiring benefits could contribute to the downward movement.
The number of people unemployed 15 weeks or longer in May ’10 was 9.9 percent below May ’09 but 212 percent above May ’08.
Marycruz García
Research Analyst, Economics and Demographics
Research Department
Greater Houston Partnership
1200 Smith, Suite 700
Houston, TX 77002-4400
Phone: 713-844-3654
Fax: 713-844-0254
E-mail: mgarcia@houston.org
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