First-time unemployment claims in Colorado jumped last week to a six-month high as many Front Range counties returned to state restrictions that forced many restaurants to shut down indoor dining and other businesses to face severe capacity limits.

Colorado first-time unemployment claims surge to 4-month high

The number of claims filed by payroll workers rose for the fifth consecutive week in the week ended Nov. 21 to 15,528. That’s the highest weekly total since claims totaled 15,603 in the week ended May 23, the U.S. Department of Labor reported. Last week’s total also is more than double the number of claims filed two weeks earlier and more than triple the total of 4,840 for the week ended Sept. 26, which was the lowest level reached since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the state in mid-March. Since then, 626,663 claims have been filed by payroll workers.

Colorado first-time unemployment claims jump to 4-month high

The jump in payroll filings came eight days after El Paso County entered a higher level of state restrictions, the COVID-Orange level, now being replaced by the COVID-Red level, just one step below a countywide stay-at-home order. Much of the Denver area and Mesa County, which includes Grand Junction, was placed in the COVID-Red status on Nov. 20, followed by Pueblo and Weld counties, which includes Greeley, two days later, and Larimer County, which includes Fort Collins, on Nov. 24.

Colorado first-time unemployment claims surge

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment didn’t report any claims numbers for self-employed persons, independent contractors and “gig” workers under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. The state last week revised the last weekly total it reported for the week ended Nov. 7, and said it was investigating whether a recent surge in filings under the program was due to fraud, which has plagued the PUA program nationwide.