Unemployment rates dropping in Crook County

As the Extended Benefits program comes to an end for Wyoming residents who are currently claiming unemployment, the number of people in Crook County who are making continued claims for unemployment benefits has dropped significantly from its highest point during the pandemic.

Unemployment rates in Crook County are unfortunately still high, according to DWS figures. The number of people making continued unemployment claims during the first week of September was 60, up slightly from 55 during the last week of August.

This compares to much lower unemployment figures before the pandemic. At the end of November, 2019, for example, 11 people were making continued claims.

The highest recorded number of continued claims in 2019 was 27 in mid July, while the lowest on record for that year is five at the end of June and beginning of July.

However, while the pandemic has certainly had a substantial impact on Crook County’s employment levels, the number of continued claims has steadily declined since the year’s highest numbers were reached in May and June. During those two months, continued claims in Crook County topped 100 almost every week, with the highest recorded number at 107 during the first week of June.

Numbers began to fall in July and have continued to do so. At the beginning of August, 87 people were still making continued claims; this number had dropped to 69 by August 15.

The number of people claiming unemployment for the first time has also steadily dropped and has remained in single digits since mid-August. For the week of September 5, only seven people claimed unemployment for the first time.

This, too, is a significant reduction from the most serious point of the pandemic. On the week of March 28, a total of 33 people filed for unemployment for the first time.

This number has also steadily fallen. It remained in the 20s and 30s for most weeks until the end of May, but then hovered between 10 and 20 until the week of August 8 before dropping below ten in mid August.

Extended Benefits is a program available to workers who have exhausted regular unemployment insurance benefits during a time of high unemployment. It provides up to 13 additional weeks of benefits.

According to the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS), confirmation was received from the U.S. Department of Labor on September 11 that the Wyoming Insured Unemployment Rate had fallen below the threshold needed to continue the Extended Benefits program. The program therefore came to an end on September 19, which was the conclusion of the mandatory 13 weeks.

Extended Benefits can no longer be paid, but those who were receiving it could be eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, applications for which are available through WYUI.wyo.gov.