Mass. again sees rise in unemployment claims under pandemic program

The number of gig workers, self-employed and others making unemployment claims under a special pandemic program continues to grow in Massachusetts, even as traditional jobless claims remain at historically high levels. For the week ending May 23, the state saw more than 147,500 initial claims to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which is meant to cover the self-employed, workers in the gig economy, and others ineligible for traditional unemployment benefits. The PUA claims jumped…