Overall first-time unemployment benefit claims in Colorado headed back up last week after falling the previous week to the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, state officials said Thursday.

The 5,007 claims filed with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment by payroll workers in the week ending Sept. 19 were down slightly — just 18 claims from the previous week, or 0.4%; that’s the lowest total since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered widespread restrictions that closed many businesses. However, claims by self-employed persons, independent contractors and “gig” workers under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program jumped 22.3% to 1,899. As a result, claims last week were up 5.3% to 6,906.

The state agency has received 558,625 claims from payroll workers and 160,041 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims since mid-March for a total of 718,666 claims. The number of people continuing to receive benefits continues to decline, falling 5.5% to 231,674 in the week ending Sept. 12. That includes payroll workers, those in the PUA program and those receiving federally funded extended benefits after their 26 weeks of state benefits ran out.

The department said it paid $106.1 million in Lost Wages Assistance benefits, which is the federally funded extra $300 a week, during the week ending Sept. 19. The department also paid $56.5 million in benefits to payroll workers during the same week, down 3.1% from the previous week and the least for any week since April 4. The department has paid $5.15 billion in benefits since March 29

In the Colorado Springs area, payroll workers filed 734 claims in the week ended Sept. 5, down 3.9% from the previous week. The department received 233 area claims under the PUA program in the week ending Sept. 12, down 25.3% from the previous week.