New weekly unemployment claims in state rise to 14,977

DENVER — An additional 14,977 people filed for traditional unemployment benefits in the week ending  Feb. 20, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment said Thursday, marking a drop of 2,826 from the week prior.

A total of 8,014 people filed for the reinstated Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program during the week, just 14 more than the week before.

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.

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A total of 129,181 state residents filed for some type of state or federally-funded unemployment assistance in the week of Feb. 13, filing a combined 184,755 claims for multiple forms of aid. That amounts to a slight increase of 1,820.

Nationwide, the U.S. Labor Department said 730,000 Americans filed for first-time benefits in the period, a decrease of 111,000 from the week prior’s adjusted figure.

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