Iowa's Weekly Jobless Claims Largely Hold Steady

DES MOINES, Iowa - Weekly jobless claims in Iowa are largely holding steady.

First time claims are slightly down in the most recent week.

Ongoing weekly claims, which more accurately reflect the actual unemployment rate, trickled up.

Iowa continues to have one of the lowest overall unemployment rates in the country at 3.1 percent.

By the numbers, first time weekly jobless claims are down by 740, from 5,192 to 4,452., a drop of almost 15 percent.

First time claims can wobble by seemingly wide margins from week to week without greatly impacting overall longer range numbers.

Ongoing claims are increases by 382, from 48,758 to 49,140, reflecting a fractional rise of less than one percent.

Ongoing claims reached a peak in the early stages of the pandemic of more than 191,000 in late May of 2020.

Iowa continues to have one of the lowest overall unemployment rates in the country at 3.1 percent.

Unemployment insurance benefit payments for the week totaled $17,224,724.10. The following industries had the most claims: