Fewer South Dakotans are seeking unemployment claims as residents of the state continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

Dakota News now is reporting the latest South Dakota Department of Labor jobs report revealed a total of 497 first-time weekly unemployment benefit claims last week. That is a decrease of 359 from the prior week’s total of 856.

When the pandemic first started, the report showed the state was receiving several thousand claims per week during the early months. Fortunately, those numbers have dropped significantly since that time.

Dakota News Now reports, the data shows initial claims have been averaging between 300-500 during recent months, with the exception of the previous report, when claims shot up to over 800.

The state's weekly unemployment claims prior to COVID-19 averaged between 200 and 300.

The latest jobs report also showed South Dakotans seeking continued unemployment claims also dropped. According to Dakota News Now, those numbers fell by 137 to 3,676.

Continued unemployment numbers reflect the total number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.

The pandemic is still putting its squeeze on people in the workforce nationwide as Americans continue to face unemployed. The nationwide jobs report showed a total of 709,000 people sought unemployment benefits last week across the country.

Source: Dakota News Now

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