The number of new unemployment claims filed across the Bay Area dropped to 126,835 in July, which was the fewest new claims in a month since the pandemic hit, down from a pandemic high of 441,813 in March of last year and versus an average of 190,400 a month in the second quarter of this year.

But the number of new claims filed across the Bay Area in July was still nearly 5 times the average number of new claims filed in the months prior to the pandemic.

And in San Francisco proper, while “only” 18,802 residents filed a new/initial unemployment claim in July, versus a pandemic-era peak of over 57,000 in April of last year and an average of 29,400 per month in the second quarter of 2021, that’s versus closer to 3,200 new claims per month prior to the pandemic and a Great Recession-era peak of 17,311 in April of 2010.

5 thoughts on “New Unemployment Claims Drop but Remain Historically High”
  1. Too much government handouts, people don’t want/need to work even though every business from restaurants to tech companies have a hard time hiring.

    1. ah yes, my roommate who is near suicidal from not having worked for >19 months is that way because of government support… And what’s wrong with a social safety net anyway?

      1. I don’t personally subscribe to the view that a robust social safety net is wrong, but I understand that some folks, especially those members of the haute bourgeoisie who need continual access to a relatively cheap, compliant and easily replaceable workforce, think that it is:

        We don’t want to turn the safety net into a hammock that lulls able-bodied people into complacency and dependence.
        —Paul Ryan

        Mr. Ryan was, famously, a devotee of Ayn Rand.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *