In this May 22, 2020, photo, people wait in line as they stand between social distancing signs in front of Cotton On, at City Creek Center, in Salt Lake City. Utah is seeing a spike in new COVID-19 cases about a month after many businesses were allowed to reopen, leading state health officials to issue renewed pleas for people to maintain social distancing. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Unemployment claims inched back up in Utah last week after eight consecutive weeks of declines as the state experiences a spike in coronavirus cases following the reopening last month of many businesses, show figures released Thursday.
Nearly 5,500 people requested unemployment assistance in the week ending June 6 — a 9% increase from the previous week. That’s down from a pandemic peak of 33,000 in early April but 449% higher than the same time last year.
As of May 30, about 78,000 total people in Utah were receiving unemployment benefits. That represents 5.3% of all eligible employees in the state.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced countless businesses to shut down or lay off workers. Since March 14, Utah has received about 175,000 claims for unemployment. That represents nearly 12% of the total workforce of Utah that is eligible for the unemployment insurance program.
Utah state officials began allowing some businesses to reopen May 1 and further loosened restrictions in the middle of the month. Over the last several weeks, the state has seen a major jump in daily coronavirus cases as health officials urge people to maintain social distancing and exercise caution.
The state has paid out nearly $199 million in state funds while doling out an additional $333 million in federal stimulus funds, state figures show.