DES MOINES, Iowa - Weekly jobless claims in Iowa are showing a strong downward pace
First time claims were chopped nearly in half in the last week.
Ongoing weekly claims, which most accurately reflect the state's actual unemployment rate, are down by five percent
Iowa's overall unemployment rate is tied for fourth lowest in the country at 3.7 percent.
By the numbers, first time weekly jobless claims are down by 3,088, from 6,981to 3,893, a drop of about 44 percent. First time claims jumped 30 percent in the previous week.
First time claims can wobble by seemingly wide margins from week to week without greatly impacting overall longer range numbers.
Ongoing claims for the most recent week fell from 32,950 to 31,149, reflecting a drop of 5 percent.
Ongoing claims reached a peak in the early stages of the pandemic of more than 191,000 in late May of 2020.
Unemployment insurance benefit payments for the week totaled $8,661,749.66, a drop from $10,240,551.03 in the previous week. The following industries had the most claims:
- Manufacturing (651)
- Industry Not Available - Self-employed, Independent Contractors, etc. (617)
- Health Care & Social Assistance (317)
- Retail Trade (306)
- Construction (263)