DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Fewer people filed for unemployment last week in Iowa compared to the week prior, but remained historically elevated as the country deals with the economic fallout of coronavirus pandemic.
A report released Thursday the by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 13,040 new claims filed between May 10 and May 16. That was drop from the previous week, when 16,735 people filed unemployment claims in Iowa.
More than 187,000 have filed for unemployment since the outbreak began, officials said, and nearly $51 million in unemployment insurance benefits has been paid out.
Those industries with the most claims last week included manufacturing, which saw nearly 4,700 claims; health care and social assistance, with 1,216 claims; retail, with 827; and hotels and food service, with 785. More than 1,250 claims last week came from the self-employed, independent contractors and other unspecified industries.
Nationally, more than 2.4 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, according to the Labor Department. About 38.6 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the weeks since the coronavirus first forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces.
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