For a Third Consecutive Week, New Unemployment Filings in Oregon Set a Record

Job losses since COVID-19 are nearly double those from the Great Recession.

Pearl District, April 8. (Rocky Burnside)
By Nigel Jaquiss

The Oregon Employment Department today reported 100,700 new initial claims for unemployment benefits.

The agency has now tallied 269,900 claims for benefits since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Oregon. For comparison, the agency said net job losses in Oregon during the Great Recession totaled just 147,800.

As The Oregonian reported, the volume of new claims has overwhelmed the Employment Department, which relies on an archaic computer system.

The agency recommends that new filers fill out forms online if at all possible—although the agency has quadrupled its staff since the pandemic began, wait time for help on agency phone lines is averaging 106 minutes.

The link for filling out unemployment claim forms is here.

To put the job losses in perspective, 2.036 million Oregonians were employed at the end of February, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 269,900 new claims mean more than 13 percent lost their jobs during the pandemic.

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