DES MOINES, Iowa - Weekly jobless claims in Iowa are down after a recent spike.
First time weekly claims have fallen sharply after a brief surge in the previous week.
Ongoing weekly claims, which reflect the actual unemployment rate, are down roughly nine percent.
The major drop comes as weekly jobless claims normally increase during the holiday period when seasonal layoffs occur.
Ongoing claims are down by almost 80 percent from their pandemic high mark back in May.
By the numbers, weekly jobless claims fell to 6,949 from 10,112, a drop almost equal to sharp increase in the prior week. Ongoing claims fell to 38,748 from 42,382, a drop of 9 percent. By comparison, ongoing claims reached a peak in the early stages of the pandemic of more than 191,000 in late may.
Iowa's overall unemployment rate is 3.6 percent, which is the third lowest in the country.
Unemployment insurance benefit payments totaled $10,935,588.33, down from $12,564,372.83, in the previous week.
The following industries had the most claims:
- Construction (1,379)
- Manufacturing (869)
- Industry Not Available - Self-employed, Independent Contractors, etc (805)
- Administrative, Support, Waste Management, and Remediation Services (598)
- Accommodation & Food Services (524)