Unemployment claims decline in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Both first-time and continued unemployment claims dropped in South Dakota’s latest jobs report.

Thursday’s report from the South Dakota Department of Labor suggests positive growth amid the coronavirus pandemic, though labor officials recently said unemployment numbers are still likely to fluctuate from week to week.

A total of 731 people filed initial claims for unemployment assistance last week, down 77 from the previous week. While this is higher than the pre-pandemic average of 200-300 per week, it is much lower than the several thousand claims per week filed in March and April.

The latest number of continued state claims is 15,643 for the week ending July 18, a decrease of 957 from the prior week’s total of 16,600. This indicates the number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.

A total of $2.8 million was paid out in state benefits, in addition to $9.4 million in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, $735,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and $100,000 in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits. The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund balance was $119.4 million on Aug. 2.

On Thursday, the Department of Labor issued a total of benefits paid since March 16: