South Dakota sees slight uptick in unemployment claims

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - First-time unemployment claims increased slightly in South Dakota one week after reaching the lowest levels since the pandemic began.

The state received 404 initial weekly claims for unemployment benefits last week, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor. This is an increase of over 100 from the previous week’s total of 267, though still much lower than the several thousand per week the state saw in the early months of the pandemic.

The latest number of continued state claims is 4,975 for the week ending Sept. 26, a decrease of 1,192 from the prior week’s total of 6,167. This indicates the number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.

Officials say a total of $889,000 was paid out in state benefits, in addition to $527,000 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, $504,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and $113,000 in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits.

The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund balance was $120.3 million on Oct. 4.