DES MOINES, Iowa - Weekly unemployment numbers continue to show improvement for Iowa.
First time jobless claims are down 18 percent.
Ongoing claims, which reflect the actual unemployment rate, are also down for substantially - 7 percent - for the week.
Ongoing claims are down for the 11th week in a row, and are only about 30 percent of what they were during their peak in early May.
Overall unemployment is still 6.0 percent for the state.
First time jobless claims dropped by 1,099, to 6,117 from 5,018 the week before.
Continuing claims are down by 4,194, from 62,938 in the previous week to 58,744 in the latest week.
By comparison, ongoing claims peaked in the first week of May at 191,257. The current numbers show a drop of about 70 percent from the high mark.
Unemployment insurance benefit payments totaled $17,085,937.61, down from $17,761,637.89in the previous week, a drop of roughly $625,00 million.
The industries with the most jobless claims in the last week are listed below:
- Manufacturing (1,105)
- Self-employed, Independent Contractors, etc (808)
- Health Care & Social Assistance (464)
- Construction (396)
- Accommodation & Food Services (323)