Statewide, Iowa — The number of initial unemployment claims in Iowa, filed between Sunday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov.14, was 6,312, an increase of 1,095 from last week’s adjusted numbers.
There were 5,784 initial claims by individuals who work and live in Iowa, and 528 claims by individuals who work in Iowa and live in another state. The number of continuing weekly unemployment claims was 35,242, an increase of 29 from the previous week. November through February are traditionally the months IWD sees the most unemployment claims, driven by increased claims in construction, agriculture, landscaping, and manufacturing due to seasonal layoffs. For the week ending Nov. 14, 2020, nearly 44.1% of claimants indicated their claims were not COVID-19 related.
Due to Governor Reynolds’ recent Proclamation of Disaster Emergency, IowaWORKS Centers will temporarily cease providing in-person services. Customers are encouraged to log onto IowaWORKS.gov or the mobile application to continue their work search activities. Further assistance can also be received by visiting the website or calling customer service.
Iowa Workforce Development and all IowaWORKS Centers will be closed November 25-27 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
For the week ending Nov. 14, 2020, unemployment insurance benefit payments totaled $9,580,120.79. The following industries had the most claims: Manufacturing (1,177), Construction (945), Self-employed, Independent Contractors, etc (771), Health Care & Social Assistance (676), and Accommodation & Food Services (418). A total of $1,011,600 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits was paid, which were retroactive payments as the program ended July 25, 2020. Since April 4, 2020, a total of $1,620,930,433 in FPUC benefits has been paid.
