Coronavirus economy: EDD unemployment backlog swells to 725,100

The backlog of unpaid unemployment claims is rising again in California amid a fresh round of government-ordered business shutdowns to combat the coronavirus.

An estimated 725,100 California workers are now waiting for payments of backlogged unemployment claims, the EDD reported for the week ending Dec. 2.

The state agency had made progress for six consecutive weeks as unpaid claims gradually diminished.

The backlog is at the highest level in about a month, rising 34% by 183,000 claims since Nov. 11, when the backlog stood at 542,100, the EDD reported. The one-week rise in the backlog rose 17% from 621,700 reported for the week ending Nov. 25.

The most recent backlog of 725,100 consists of two categories:

— 363,000 claims by workers who had filed a first-time unemployment claim but have been waiting more than 21 days to receive their first payment or be told they don’t qualify for any benefits. These are officially known as initial claims.

— 362,100 claims by workers who received at least one payment but have been waiting more than 21 days to receive an additional payment or notification from the EDD that they don’t qualify for further payments. These are known as continuing claims.

The most recently reported backlog for initial unemployment claims is the highest that metric has been since Oct. 14, when the logjam totaled 402,800.

The continuing claims backlog is at its highest level since Nov. 4, when the number 594,300.

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