Updated: States Whose Weekly Unemployment Claims Are Increasing the Most
Friday, December 11th, 2020
WalletHub Q&A
How will the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine impact unemployment?
“Once we achieve widespread distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, people will have much less risk of getting the virus, and as a result, businesses will be able to eventually reopen at full capacity,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “A full reopening will lead to a jump in business revenue and a greater need for workers, which means businesses will have both the desire and the resources to hire in full force. We should encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated in order to bring about the biggest possible reduction in unemployment.”
Should the government step in to help industries like movie theaters avoid going bankrupt?
“The government should take actions to prevent highly-impacted industries such as movie theaters from going bankrupt. Government restrictions on capacity, though essential for safety, have caused many places to become unprofitable. We should protect businesses against bankruptcy to prevent another rise in unemployment,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “In order to receive assistance, companies and landlords in danger of bankruptcy should also be willing to share in the cost. The government can’t be solely responsible for bailing everyone out.”
How do red states and blue states compare when it comes to new unemployment claims?
“Blue states had an average rank of 21 among the states with the biggest increases in weekly unemployment claims, compared to 30 for red states,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “The lower the number of the ranking, the larger the increase in unemployment claims was.”
How has unemployment in California – the state with the most COVID-19 cases – been impacted?
“California’s weekly unemployment claims experienced the 10th biggest increase in the U.S. For the week of November 30, California had 177,837 new unemployment claims, compared to 130,383 last week,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst.
The above Q&A is also provided in audio format and can be edited as needed.
