Initial Unemployment Claims Down, Substantial Increase in Payout

Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) announced today there were just under 28,000 unemployment claims filed by individuals for the week of April 12-18. That number is down from the previous record high of 67,334 from two weeks ago, but is still one of the highest amounts of weekly claims in state history. Although initial claims were down, the amount paid increased by almost $10 million, with just over $48 million in claims paid out of the unemployment trust fund for the week. Sectors that saw the most claims filed included manufacturing (5,143), health care and social assistance (3,985), and those who are not identified by industry including the self-employed, independent contractors, etc. (3,817). ABI continues to monitor the trust fund balance and work to resolution with IWD on their proposed trigger policy. Read the news release.