The Georgia Department of Labor processed 266,565 unemployment claims last week, up 19,000 from the week prior. The state paid over $155 million in benefits last week, which is more than the annual total of unemployment insurance paid in the last four years, according to the agency.

The hospitality and food service industries continue to be the hardest hit, accounting for roughly 30 percent of all claims since the middle of March.

Of the more than 1.3 million claims processed, the agency said 725,000 were valid; roughly 60 percent of those claims have been paid out. The agency asked others to be patient as they process a record number of applications.

The agency also started paying certain workers previously incapable of receiving state unemployment benefits last week. The CARES Act provided funding for self-employed, gig workers, 1099 contracts, church employees, non-profit employees and those with limited work histories.

The agency is hopeful for a downward trend in unemployment claims as Georgia businesses begin the process of reopening.

“Again, who knows [though], we still have today and tomorrow. So that could either smooth out, even out, or it could go back up. Right now, we’re hoping that last week, fingers crossed, may have been the high water mark,” Commissioner Mark Butler said.

Georgians who refuse to go to work over safety concerns or whose employers don’t reopen won’t automatically lose unemployment benefits. The agency said workers who are afraid to go back to work will be handled on a case by case basis. People who work for businesses that stay closed will continue receiving unemployment insurance.

The Georgia Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Balance was just over $2 billion, down $455 million from March 24. The average claim is $276 per week.

WTOC