South Dakota again sees record high in unemployment claims

The state of South Dakota saw nearly 8,000 unemployment benefit claims last week as the economy continues to deal with the fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak.

A total of 7,916 initial weekly claims for unemployment benefits were filed between March 29 and April 4.

The new numbers set a record high, with an increase of over 1,100 compared to the

prior week's tota.

of 6,801, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor.

Over 16,000 people have filed for unemployment in South Dakota since the coronavirus pandemic began having an economic impact on the state. That accounts for roughly three percent of the state's workforce, according to the Department of Labor's

website

Thursday's report comes as the U.S. Department of Labor

announced

an additional 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment last week, marking 16.8 million unemployment claims since the crisis began.

More: what does it take to file for unemployment in South Dakota? Labor and Regulaton Secretary Marcia Hultman said the department is now issuing an additional $600 weekly extended unemployment benefit as a provision of the CARES act. Claimants do not need to ask for this specifically, but should still file a regular weekly request for payment.