First-time unemployment claims remain low in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Initial unemployment claims fell to their lowest point since the pandemic began in South Dakota’s latest jobs report, though continued claims rose slightly.

The Department of Labor received 238 weekly first-time claims for unemployment benefits, state officials announced Thursday. This is a decrease of 57 claims from the prior week’s total. This marks the lowest weekly initial unemployment claims since last March when the effects of the pandemic first impacted South Dakota’s economy.

Labor officials say continued claims rose by 114 to 4,941. This indicates the number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.

For week ending March 27, a total of $1.2 million was paid out in state benefits, in addition to $1.5 million in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, $152,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and $282,000 in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits.

Nationwide unemployment claims rose slightly to 719,000 last week.