During the week of April 19-25, a total of 5,389 initial weekly claims for unemployment benefits were processed by the Department of Labor and Regulation. This is an increase of 94 claims over the prior week’s total of 5,295.
A total of $5.1 million was paid out in state benefits, in addition to $11.6 million paid out in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefits. The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund balance April 26 was $109.1 million.
“Unemployment claims continue to steadily roll in at historic levels,” said state Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman. “The department is monitoring the ever-changing COVID-19 situation to determine the appropriate level of staffing to process and pay claims in a timely manner.”
The latest number of continued claims is 19,664 for the week ending April 11. This indicates the number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.
“We have trained about 60 current employees to help with unemployment insurance. This required a great deal of flexibility, adaptability and innovation to meet new programming needs and changing federal guidance,” said Secretary Hultman. “I’m extremely proud of how the team has stepped up to help their fellow South Dakotans during this pandemic.”
