Unemployment Remains High

Early summer brings work and a traditional decline in unemployment insurance (UI). In May, about 70,000 Ninth District workers received weekly UI benefits. That’s about half of January’s levels, but UI levels historically decline with warmer weather. Current levels are 17 percent higher than last year but still a 5 percent gap from 2019 levels. The gap would be much wider—closer to 20 percent—without last year’s change in Minnesota law allowing hourly school workers to claim unemployment benefits in the summer. For other recent trends, see the Minneapolis Fed’s Regional Economic Indicators.