Pandemic pain continues for economy as new jobless filings in Florida go up again

New filings for unemployment assistance in Florida increased for the second time in four weeks, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday — a sign that the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic remains severe.

For the week ending Dec. 5, new jobless claims climbed from 23,063 to 25,012. While new claims had declined the week ending Nov. 28, economists said that was likely the result of a temporary bump in hiring sparked by the

Thanksgiving holiday. New weekly claim filings have now been stuck at about 25,000 for a month.

The Labor Department also reported Florida’s count in pandemic unemployment assistance claims — like Uber drivers and other contract workers not eligible for regular unemployment — had increased from 16,742 to 23,400. And week-on-week changes in the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s unemployment dashboard showed an increase of more than 9,000 in its count of people who have filed for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, the program that adds 13 weeks of unemployment benefits.

The latest reported increase in new filings in Florida mirrored a broader increase for the U.S., which saw a sharp jump from 716,000 to 853,000.

Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at research group Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the economic pain caused by the pandemic shows no sign of abating.

“It would be astonishing, in our view, if initial jobless claims were to remain flat, still less to decline, during the current surge in COVID cases, which has triggered a wave of business restrictions across the country and is scaring some people into staying home,” he wrote in a note to clients in advance of Thursday’s release.

He continued: “Small businesses, especially in the consumer services sector, are suffering.”