Iowa Workforce Development reports initial unemployment insurance claims filed for week of November 15-21, 2020
DES MOINES – The number of initial unemployment claims in Iowa, filed between Sunday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 21, was 9,458, an increase of 3,466 from last week’s adjusted numbers. There were 8,720 initial claims by individuals who work and live in Iowa, and 738 claims by individuals who work in Iowa and live in another state. The number of continuing weekly unemployment claims was 37,112, an increase of 2,310 from the previous week. November through February are traditionally the months IWD sees the most unemployment claims, driven by increased claims in construction, agriculture, landscaping and manufacturing due to seasonal layoffs. For the week ending Nov. 21, 2020, nearly 43.6% of claimants indicated their claims were not COVID-19 related.
The U.S. Department of Labor adjusted last week’s initial claim number to 5,992 (a decrease of 320) and continuing claims to 34,802 (a decrease of 440 for a total decrease of 760 overall). Iowa Workforce Development relies upon the weekly data released by the U.S. Department of Labor to report its numbers and as such, adopts the revisions to the previously published data.
Due to Governor Reynolds’ recent Proclamation of Disaster Emergency, IowaWORKS Centers will temporarily cease providing in-person services. Customers are encouraged to log onto IowaWORKS.gov or the mobile application to continue their work search activities. Further assistance can also be received by visiting the website or calling customer service.
Iowa Workforce Development and all IowaWORKS Centers will be closed November 25-27 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
For the week ending Nov. 21, 2020, unemployment insurance benefit payments totaled $10,269,549.21. The following industries had the most claims:
Manufacturing (1,622)
Construction (1,271)
Industry Not Available – Self-employed, Independent Contractors, etc (1,245)
Health Care & Social Assistance (920)
Accommodation & Food Services (780)
A total of $1,538,400 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits was paid, which were retroactive payments as the program ended July 25, 2020. Since April 4, 2020, a total of $1,622,468,833 in FPUC benefits has been paid.
A total of $3,874,922.90 was paid in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits. Since April 13, 2020, a total of $150,526,718.54 in PUA benefits has been paid.
A total of $8,336,985.80 in benefits has been paid in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits. Since May 27, 2020, a total of $141,547,790.13 in PEUC benefits have been paid.
A total of $108,609.59 was paid in State Extended Benefits (EB). Since July 21, 2020, a total of $17,533,019.73 in State EB has been paid. The United States Department of Labor notified Iowa that due to our economic recovery, the State EB program ended the week ending October 31, 2020. EB cannot be paid to any claimant for weeks of unemployment after October 31, 2020, even if they have not yet received 13 weeks of EB. Those claimants who lose EB may be eligible for the PUA benefit program if they have remaining benefit weeks available in their current benefit year. Claimants may apply for PUA at www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/pua-information.
IWD has reinstated the work search requirement. Those who will be required to begin work searches will be notified by IWD. We have also posted updates on our website regarding this requirement. There are currently almost 66,000 job openings at https://www.iowaworks.gov. Not all claimants will be required to begin work searches, including for example, those who are receiving PUA benefits due to a medical condition or lack of childcare.
Employers are required to notify their employees about Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in accordance with Iowa Administrative Code Section 871-22.19. The requirement ensures that workers are aware of the benefits they may be eligible for if they become unemployed or experience a reduction in hours.
