MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - New unemployment claims have leveled off somewhat in Alabama, according to numbers released Thursday, as a record 470,000 people applied for job loss benefits during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Alabama Department of Labor reported that nearly 27,000 unemployment claims were filed last week. More than 17,800 of those claims are COVID-19 related. About 29,000 people filed the previous week.
The numbers are well above normal unemployment levels in the state, but down from the start of the pandemic when as many as 100,000 claims were being filed weekly.
The drop could indicate Alabama is on the downward slope of the coronavirus-related jobless claims that soared after businesses shut their doors because of the virus and state closure orders.
The new jobless claims included more than 5,200 from the manufacturing sector and nearly 2,500 from the accommodation and food services industry.
More than 470,000 people applied for job loss benefits since the outbreak began in Alabama.
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