Employment Index: Jobs by the numbers

Published 2:00 pm Thursday, October 15, 2020

Here are 10 numbers related to unemployment caused by the response to COVID-19.

585,500: The number of Oregonians who have filed for regular unemployment since March 15.

80,700: The number of Oregonians who filed for regular unemployment during a comparable period last year.

1,097: Initial claims for regular unemployment remaining to be processed.

1,100: Number of employees processing claims as of Aug. 18.

186,795: Number of claims received for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), the program for self-employed and gig workers who don’t qualify for regular unemployment.

66,374: The number of PUA claims paid.

72 minutes: The average wait time for Oregonians calling the department on Wednesday, up from 70 minutes the prior week.

2,300: The number of calls answered on Wednesday.

Unknown: The number of calls received Wednesday.

$5.2 billion: Benefits paid to Oregonians.

8.0%: The Oregon unemployment rate, down from 8.5% in August.

 

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