Jobless claims surge after new layoffs

Florida’s unemployment claims bucked a downward national trend with a surge in new layoffs and an unemployment agency still struggling with a backlog of people trying to file claims.

Florida saw its claims jump by more than 31,000 from the previous week. But nationwide, filings again showed a slight overall decline, as the number of workers seeking benefits stood at 1,877,000, a decrease of 249,000 from the previous week ended May 23.

The state’s 206,494 jobless workers seeking benefits in the week ending May 30 was the second highest in the country. Only California, with 230,000, was higher, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.

“There are companies realizing things are not improving fast enough and they have to continue to cut and lay people off,” said Rebel Cole, a professor of finance at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business.

Hospitality companies in South Florida laid off hundreds of workers in the last week of May, the state layoff notification list shows.

The Loews Miami Beach Hotel cut 723 workers on May 27, for example, while the nearby Royal Palm laid off 141 employees.

Rolling furloughs were added by a variety of Florida hotel, transportation and other service companies dating back to midMarch and continuing into the final week of May, shows the list maintained by the Department of Economic Opportunity.

The state’s unemployment benefits system is still trying to meet the overwhelming demands for service by well over 1 million idled workers.

Thousands of independent contractors, made eligible for federal payments under the coronavirus relief act, were rejected and had to reapply. The DEO’s