New Unemployment Claims Continue To Drop In New Hampshire

CONCORD, NH — New unemployment claims in New Hampshire have dropped for the sixth week in a row after reaching all-time highs in early April, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The federal labor department reported 6,036 filing for new unemployment claims for the week ending May 30. The previous week's total was revised up by a few hundred to 7,266. The federal government said nearly 104,000 people collected unemployment benefits for the week ending May 23.

Nationally, around 42 million people have filed for unemployment benefits since the new coronavirus pandemic hit in late February and early March.

New Hampshire Employment Security said unemployment claims in the state peaked at nearly 117,000 May 2. Nearly 200,000 have filed since March. With the state's labor participation force estimated to be around 713,550 in April, the state's unemployment rate is around 14.5 percent.

Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Dover, Rochester, Derry, and Portsmouth continue to be the communities hardest hit by unemployment claims with full- and limited-service restaurants, general medical and surgical hospitals, hotels and motels, dentist offices, elementary and secondary schools, and child care being the sectors hit the hardest.

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