Iowa unemployment claims rise for first time since February

Iowa saw an increase in weekly unemployment claims during the week of March 20 for the first time since February.

New claims decreased from 5,129 to 4,846, but continuing claims rose, from 37,540 to 40,186, according to Iowa Workforce Development.

About 48 percent of claims were related to coronavirus, which was up from 42.9 percent the previous week.

Self-employed and independent contractors had the largest portion of claims, with 988, followed by manufacturing with 793, construction with 400, retail trade with 377, and accommodation and food services with 359.

In Linn County, manufacturing was the largest source of claims with 174 -- more than twice as many as in any other industry.

The claims resulted in $22.4 million in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, $13.3 million in standard unemployment benefits, $9.8 million in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation and $3.4 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

These numbers are preliminary and are yet to be adjusted by the U.S. Department of Labor. They also only encapsulate how many people are actively seeking work and therefore do not necessarily give a complete view of how many Iowans are out of work.

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