DES MOINES, Iowa - Weekly jobless claims in Iowa are up, which is an unusual spike in a months long downward trend.
First time claims rose in the most recent week, as did ongoing claims, which were up by 5 percent.
Ongoing claims more accurately reflect the state's actual unemployment rate, and Iowa's overall monthly rate remains tied for fourth lowest in the country - 3.7 percent.
By the numbers, first time weekly jobless claims jumped by 841, from 3,290 to 4,131, a spike of about 20 percent. First time claims were up 14 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 jumper from 25,714 to 26,901, reflecting the spike of about 5 percent, following a 6 percent drop in the previous week.
Ongoing claims reached a peak in the early stages of the pandemic of more than 191,000 in late May of 2020.