PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - South Dakotans have received about $267 million in unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic started to take hold in the U.S. in mid-March.
The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation said Thursday the state has paid $70 million in regular unemployment claims since March 16, while new federal unemployment programs have paid the rest.
The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which provided the additional $600 weekly, paid $187 million to the unemployed in South Dakota. Those payments ended July 31.
The federal program for self-employed workers, independent contractors and gig workers has paid $8.7 million in South Dakota and the program that extends unemployment payments for those who have reached the limit, has paid $925,000.
During the week of July 26 through Aug. 1, a total of 731 initial weekly claims for state unemployment benefits were processed by the department, a decrease of 77 claims from the prior week’s total of 808.
The latest number of continued state claims is 15,643 for the week ending July 18, a decrease of 957 from the prior week’s total of 16,600.
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