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UPDATE: The Department of Labor just released numbers for new weekly unemployment insurance claims for the week ending March 21. Nevada unemployment claims jumped by more than 1,300% to 93,036 — a more than fourteenfold increase.

ORIGINAL STORY

Nevada topped the nation for its rate of new unemployment claims as impacts related to COVID-19 slammed the Silver State’s tourism industry.

Nevada’s 182% weekly spike in new unemployment insurance claims was the highest seen nationwide, according to an analysis by nonprofit think tank Heartland Forward. The state of Washington was No. 2 with a 124% increase in new weekly claims for unemployment benefits.

“Not surprisingly, Nevada and Washington ... have the highest increase in claims, given Nevada’s heavy dependence on tourism and Washington (being) the location of the U.S.’ largest outbreak initially,” the report found.

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Nevada has been struggling from the effects of the novel coronavirus, which started with a drop in the number of visitors to places such as Las Vegas. This was then followed by the closure of all non-essential businesses — including all its casinos — in the state, which was mandated by Gov. Steve Sisolak in order to slow down the spread of the disease.

The Nevada Resort Association warned that the closures could lead to nearly $39 billion in losses for the tourism industry and push unemployment to 30% in the state unless the situation is addressed. The tourism industry accounts for a third of all jobs in the state, according to the association.

The numbers from the Heartland Forward analysis were slightly off from what the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported for the same period. DETR posted 6,356 new weekly unemployment insurance claims while the Heartland analysis says it was at 6,501. Regardless, both figures show that new weekly unemployment claims in Nevada were nearly triple of what the number was for the previous week.

The states and areas that saw the largest increase in new unemployment filings include:

Nevada: 182%

Washington state: 124%

Washington, D.C.: 120%

Nebraska: 59.5%

Rhode Island: 58%

Nationwide, the number of new unemployment filings jumped by 70,000, the highest seen since Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The number of people filing for unemployment benefits serves as a barometer for the economy, according to Heartland Forward.

“As initial claims rise, economic activity slows and recession becomes more likely,” the report said.

To see how each state performed, you can check out the Heartland Forward report on new state-by-state unemployment insurance claims.

Jason Hidalgo covers business and technology for the Reno Gazette Journal, and also reviews video games as part of his Technobubble features. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhidalgo. Like this content? Support local journalism with an RGJ digital subscription.