From the NJDOL:

TRENTON – Unemployed workers in New Jersey received more than a half-billion-dollars in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) last week, with the newly expired federal unemployment supplement program driving the total amount of COVID-related benefits to $12.4 billion in the past 19 weeks. 

The $600 weekly unemployment supplement that had been available since April has put $7.5 billion into the pockets of out-of-work New Jerseyans. The last day to collect the benefit was July 25, so most eligible workers will see their final supplemental payment in the next week.

Because it is a federal program, FPUC cannot by law continue to be offered in New Jersey beyond the benefit week ending July 25, unless Congress passes new legislation. However, the payments will continue to be made on all eligible claims for the weeks ending April 4 through July 25 — even after the program ends. About 840,000 people claimed the benefit last week. 

“State and federal unemployment benefits continue to be a vital wage replacement source for so many of our colleagues, friends and neighbors,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “While these benefits are providing a safety net for countless families, we are reminded everyday that some are continuing to have issues with their claims. We are throwing every resource we have at these complicated outstanding claims, and working to get everyone a determination quickly.” 

The number of new unemployment applications rose last week, with 28,063 initial claims for the week ending July 25, an 8.8 percent jump over the prior week. That brings the total to 1.44 million new claims since COVID-19 sidelined as many as one in four workers starting in mid-March. 

Since then, 1.25 million individuals have claimed UI benefits and 96 percent of them have received payment.  An additional 12,600 people who have exhausted all other state and federal aid are receiving state Extended Benefits, which allows an additional 20 weeks of benefit payments; in the three weeks this program has been available, $11 million in benefits has been received. 

The weekly totals of new unemployment claims are:     

Below is the weekly breakdown of  payments (in millions):    

NA: Benefit not applicable during the indicated weeks.    

FPUC, PUA and PEUC are federal programs authorized by Congress under the CARES Act. PUA provides benefits to newly eligible populations such as self-employed workers, independent contractors and those who do not have enough recent earnings to qualify for regular unemployment benefits, as well as for newly qualifying reasons such as being unable to work due to COVID-19. Those benefits expire at the end of the year, with a maximum of 46 weeks earned, including extended benefits. PEUC provides 13 weeks of federal benefits for those who have exhausted 26 weeks of state unemployment. State extended benefits automatically offers an additional 20 weeks of assistance once PEUC ends.  

For more information on state or federal unemployment programs, visit myunemployment.nj.gov.   

Claimants collecting unemployment must certify for benefits each week to continue to receive payments. Information on certifying for unemployment can be found here: https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/schedule.shtml     

Anyone looking for work is encouraged to visit New Jersey’s jobs portal — jobs.covid19.nj.gov — which matches jobseekers with immediate openings in industries such as food distribution, warehousing and health care.     

 For national unemployment data, visit https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf. For archived NJ claims data, visit https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/DataDashboard.asp.    

*This represents the final number for the week ended July 18. The number listed for NJ by US Department of Labor – 27,270 – is based on advanced reporting.