Initial regular unemployment claims in Colorado hit 9,171 for the week ending Nov. 14 – the highest number since July 11, according to data released Thursday by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

This is the fourth week in a row that initial claims have increased.

Colorado’s pandemic unemployment claims highest since June

Initial regular unemployment claims jumped by more than 1,600 since the previous week. That is the largest week-by-week increase in more than four months.

Colorado first-time unemployment claims surge

Regular unemployment claims had previously calmed down, hovering around the 5,000s and 6,000s between Aug. 8 and Oct. 24 before rising sharply at the end of October, near the beginning of Colorado’s extreme surge in COVID-19 cases.

Initial pandemic unemployment claims have also increased drastically.

Last week, CDLE reported 7,281 initial unemployment claims for the week ending Nov. 7, the highest number of claims since June. However, CDLE said Thursday that it revised the number down to 6,121 after investigating fraudulent claims.

Though, even with the revised number, that is still nearly double the number of initial pandemic unemployment claims from the previous week and the highest number of claims since June 20.

Colorado weekly unemployment claims high but steady throughout October

Data of pandemic unemployment for the week ending on Nov. 14 has not yet been released.

CDLE’s investigation into fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims is ongoing. Further revisions and updates are expected in the coming weeks.

Since mid-March, 611,135 regular unemployment initial claims have been filed in Colorado.