Idaho unemployment claims increase at slower pace

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK)-The Idaho Department of Labor reports 4,727 people filed new claims for unemployment insurance benefits in the past week.  That is down 18% from the 5,800 who applied the week before.

56,932 people have applied for ongoing benefit claims, which is down 5.7% from the previous week.

People working in health care and social assistance accounted for almost 13% of claims filed in the past week.  Accommodation and food service workers accounted for the second largest group of claims in nearly equal numbers.    Retail and manufacturing workers accounted for the next 23%. 

People under the age of 25 accounted for 18% of initial claims and 53% of claimants were male.

The state paid $11.2 million in unemployment benefits for the week of May 17-23, a 7.7% decrease from the previous week, but 9.4 times higher than the same time frame a year ago. 

Federal CARES Act payments decreased to $25.7 million and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance payments totaled $945,100.

During the 10-week COVID-19 emergency, laid-off Idaho workers have filed 141,628 initial unemployment benefit claims.  That is over two times the total number of claims filed in all of 2019.

As of May 23, the department said total benefits paid in Idaho reached $278 million.