Continuing a downward trend, fewer Colorado residents filed new unemployment claims for the week ending May 1, according to Colorado Department of Labor and Employment data released Thursday.

There were 4,472 new regular claims filed last week, a 13% drop from the previous week’s total of 5,825. That marks the 10th week running that  new claims have continued to fall. It’s also the lowest number of new claims filed since March 14, 2020, as the pandemic was taking hold.

The 2020 weekly average for new claims filings was 14,300, compared to the 2019 average of 1,900.

Two-month trend continues as Colorado new jobless claims down again

As far as new claims filed by self-employed, gig or contract workers, that number fell to 618 for the week ended May 1, down from the prior week’s 830. Those workers are covered by the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.

The total number of new claims for payroll and PUA-eligible workers dropped 14% to 5,090 from the prior week’s total of 6,655.

Unemployed Coloradans filed 196,607 continued claims as of the week ended April 24, the latest numbers available. That covers all payroll, contract and self-employed workers. That’s a 3% dip from the prior week’s level.

The high mark this year was set the week of Feb. 20, when more than 385,000 continued claims were paid. That number dropped dramatically after CDLE implemented the ID.ME software to verify identities.

CDLE reports that 1,195,287 total claims have been filed since March 2020, and that $9.09 billion in claims have been paid.

March’s unemployment rate stood at 6.4%, unchanged from February and down from the 6.6% January level. Colorado’s unemployment rate remains above the national rate of 6%. The April rate is expected soon from CDLE.