Unemployment claims surpass Great Recession enrollment

The number New Mexico residents filing for unemployment benefits amid the coronavirus lockdown has exceeded enrollment during the depths of the Great Recession, officials said Friday.

The Department of Workforce solutions said it received 79,049 certifications for the week ending Thursday from people currently receiving benefits and others in the system who are awaiting determinations on eligibility.

As many as 60,000 people in New Mexico were enrolled in unemployment in the aftermath of the financial crisis that began in 2007 with losses on subprime mortgages.

As businesses began layoffs and furloughs in March, New Mexico’s unemployment rate climbed from to 5.9% — from 4.8% in February. The restaurant and lodging industries have been especially hard hit by the coronavirus crisis.

One in four people filing for unemployment during the week ending April 11 worked in accommodations or food-service. Unemployment claims have climbed fastest among young adults — multiplying 15-fold among people 24 and under.

A $600 boost in benefits under the federal coronavirus relief act is expected to arrive automatically through unemployment checks starting the week of April 20. That will raise the maximum weekly benefit to $1,041. The benefit extends through the end of July.