Jobless claims nearly triple from April to June

Quay County saw jobless claims more than triple during the April to June period, according to data released last week by the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

Unemployment claims jumped from just over 100 during the previous quarter to more than 300 during the April-to-June quarter, the agency reported.

The latter quarter was when economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted state-mandated shutdowns starting in mid-March, began to fully be seen.

The Economic Development Department stated in its report the uptick in jobless claims was “unprecedented.”

“As the phased reopening continues, it is likely the number of unemployment claims will flatten out and then decrease, but it is impossible to predict how quickly the employment numbers will return to pre-COVID levels,” it stated.

The January-to-March quarter also saw the number of jobless claims in Quay County quadruple, despite the short time window of COVID-19’s effects.

New Mexico Deputy Cabinet Secretary Jon Clark said the latest information in the department’s quarterly report is aggregated from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, state Taxation and Revenue Department, Department of Workforce Solutions, U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Other observations by the agency:

• Quay County saw a $4.5 million increase, or 13%, in matched taxable gross receipts during the April-to-June period compared to the previous quarter. That was partly attributable to a strong year by the construction industry. Several projects, including a new bridge on U.S. 54 in Logan, a new bridge on old Route 66 west of San Jon and reconstruction of Mountain Road in Tucumcari, have been cited.

• During that quarter, the county saw strong gross tax receipts increases in educational services (up 146%), manufacturing (130%), agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (109%) and administrative, support and waste management or remediation (71%). Sectors that saw sharp decreases during that quarter included healthcare and social assistance (down 72%), unclassified establishments (down 68%), accommodation and food services (32%), arts, entertainment and recreation (31%) and transportation and warehousing (29%).

• The report noted a 1% undercount in Quay County by the U.S. Census would cost the county more than $2.4 million in federal programs over a 10-year period. Quay County is lagging by more than 10% in the self-response rate as of Aug. 13 compared to the final self-response rate in 2010.