COVID-19 February 18, 2021 9:45:11 pm

New weekly unemployment claims in CO drop to 12,151

By Dan Mika

DENVER — An additional 12,151 people filed for traditional unemployment benefits in the week ending Feb. 13, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said Thursday, marking a drop of 1,867 from the week prior.

The department also began reporting weekly claims for federally-funded unemployment programs that temporarily lapsed late last December. A total of 8,000 people filed for the reinstated Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program during the week.

Both of those figures were adjusted to remove possible fraudulent claims for aid.

A total of 129,181 state residents filed for some type of state or federally-funded unemployment aid in the week of Feb. 6.

However, the agency broadly warns against relying on new filing figures as a leading economic indicator due to the high number of fraudulent claims made in the past several months.

Nationwide, the U.S. Labor Department said 861,000 Americans filed for first-time benefits in the period, an increase of 13,000 from the week prior’s adjusted figure.