Unemployment Insurance

The Maine Department of Labor's Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs provide unemployment benefits to eligible workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own, (as determined under Maine State law), and meet certain other eligibility requirements.

Tables

Benefits

  • Average Weekly Wage, Minimum and Maximum Weekly Benefit Amounts, and Monetary Eligibility Requirements Under the Maine Unemployment Insurance Program, 1938-2010 (Excel)

Contribution Rates

Selected Regular Unemployment Compensation Program Indicators
Key Data April 2012 March 2011 April 2011

*For totally unemployed claimants, excluding dependency allowances.
**13-week average for the midweek of each month.
***For midweek of each month.
Average Duration in Weeks 16.0 16.0 16.5
Average Weekly Benefit Amount* $277.57 $276.28 $271.53
Exhaustees 2,485 1,864 2,379
Trigger Rate** 3.52 3.58 3.86
Initial Claims*** 1,491 1,590 1,850
Continued Claims Less Partials*** 14,955 18,052 16,944
Nonmonetary Determinations 2,591 2,797 2,836
Nonmonetary Disqualifications 1,680 1,817 1,835
Appeals Disposed (Tribunal) 551 609 703
Appeals Disposed (Commission) 82 109 55
Net Benefits Paid (000) $18,485 $19,245 $18,393
Contributions Received (000) $13,945 $575 $10,861
Fund Balance (000) $224,171 $228,562 $226,820
  • Yearly Trust Fund Data
  • Monthly Trust Fund Balance
  • Monthly Benefits Paid & Contributions
Chart showing Yearly Total Benefits Paid, Contributions Received, and Year-End Trust Fund Balance (Excel)
Chart showing Monthly Total Benefits Paid, Contributions Received, and Year-End Trust Fund Balance (Excel)
  • Initial Claims (IC)
  • Continued Claims (CC)
  • IC 4-Week Moving Avg.
  • CC 4-Week Moving Avg.
Charts showing Initial and Continued Claims and 4-Week Moving Averages (Excel)

Links

FAQs

  • Who is considered unemployed?

    • Unemployed persons are the number of people who are not employed but are actively seeking work. Included are those who are waiting to be called back from a lay off or are waiting to report to a new job within 30 days.

  • What is covered employment?

    • Covered employment refers to those employers who fall under the coverage of the state and federal unemployment insurance programs and pay unemployment taxes on their workers. The main activities NOT included in Covered employment are self-employment, railroads, and small agricultural activities.

  • What do the unemployment insurance claims figures measure?

    • Statistics on the number of insured unemployed are collected as a byproduct of Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs. Workers who lose their jobs and are covered by these programs typically file claims, which serve as notice that they are beginning a period of unemployment. Claimants who qualify for benefits are counted in the insured unemployment figures. However, they only represent a portion of the total unemployed. These data are not used to measure total unemployment because they exclude several important groups. The insured unemployed excludes unemployed workers who have exhausted their benefits; new entrants or reentrants to the labor market; disqualified workers whose unemployment is considered to have resulted from their own actions (misconduct on the job) rather than from economic conditions; and otherwise eligible unemployed persons who do not file for benefits. In terms of employed workers, the principal groups not covered by the UI programs are self-employed workers, unpaid family workers, workers in certain non-profit organizations, and other, primarily seasonal, worker categories.

  • What is an initial claim?

    • This is a term used to define the initial notice of unemployment a person files with the State Unemployment Insurance agency to initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or period of eligibility.

  • What is unemployment insurance?

    • Unemployment Insurance is temporary income for workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own and who are either looking for new jobs, in approved training, or awaiting recall to employment. The funding for unemployment insurance benefits comes from taxes paid by employers. Workers do not pay any of the costs. To qualify for unemployment benefits, you must have earned sufficient wages during a specified time (monetary eligibility). To collect benefits, you must meet certain legal eligibility requirements.

  • What is a continued claim?

    • A weekly request for benefit payment after the initial claim has been filed. Each week a claimant is totally or partially unemployed the claimant must report to certify eligibility for a benefit payment for the week.

  • What is the purpose of a 4-week moving average?

    • Since jobless claims may be volatile from week to week, the four-week moving average is observed to get a better indication of the underlying trend.

[More FAQs...]

Contact Information

Maine Department of Labor
Center for Workforce Research & Information
118 SHS
Augusta, ME 04333-0118

Phone: (207) 623-7900
TTY (for Deaf and Hard of Hearing): 1-800-794-1110
Fax: (207) 287-2947
Email: CWRI.DOL@Maine.gov