State unemployment claims on the rise

More than five-thousand initial weekly claims for unemployment benefits were processed by the state Department of Labor and Regulation last week.  This is an increase of more than 12-hundred claims over the week prior.

State Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman said the bigger increase in claims last week was expected.

Hultman said that millions of state and federal benefits have been paid out in the last two months.

Hultman said the number of continued claims is more than 23-thousand-700 for the week ending April 25th. This indicates the number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.

Hultman said that many employers are starting to recall workers, but if someone is permanently without employment because of the coronavirus outbreak, they should contact the state Department of Labor and Regulation for assistance.