DES MOINES, Iowa - Weekly jobless claims are fairly stable in Iowa.
First time claims are down, while ongoing claims edged up slightly.
The weekly claims released Thursday morning come just after monthly numbers have shown Iowa tied for the second lowest unemployment rate in the country at 3.1 percent.
By the numbers, first first time weekly claims are down by 870, from 6,380 to 5,510, a drop of 14 percent.
Ongoing claims, which more closely reflect the state's unemployment rate, are up 1,140, from 46,014 to 47,154, a roughly 3 percent gain.
Ongoing claims reached a peak in the early stages of the pandemic of more than 191,000 in late May of 2020.
For the most recent week, unemployment insurance benefit payments totaled $15,769,472.15, up from $15,333,229.77 the week before.
The following industries had the most claims:
- Construction (1,001)
- Industry Not Available - Self-employed, Independent Contractors, etc (792)
- Manufacturing (750)
- Retail Trade (475)
- Health Care & Social Assistance (405)