Source: U.S. Employment and Training Administration  

Release: Pandemic Claims Weekly Report  

Units:  Number, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Weekly, Ending Saturday

Continued claims, also referred to as insured unemployment, is the number of people who have already filed an initial claim and who have experienced a week of unemployment and then filed a continued claim to claim benefits for that week of unemployment. Continued claims data are based on the week of unemployment, not the week when the initial claim was filed.

The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program allowed people who have exhausted their unemployment compensation benefits to receive up to 13 additional weeks of benefits, provided they "are able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work." This program was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which expanded states' ability to provide unemployment insurance to many workers affected by COVID-19, including people who aren't ordinarily eligible for unemployment benefits.