S.D. sees drop in new unemployment claims
June 4, 2020
The number of new claims for unemployment benefits in South Dakota dropped by more than 2,000 people in the latest reporting period.
There were 1,435 new initial weekly claims for unemployment for the week of May 24 processed by the Department of Labor and Regulation — a decrease of 2,036 claims from the prior week’s total of 3,471.
The latest number of continued claims is 22,454 for the week ending May 16. This indicates the number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.
“Effective June 1, teachers, substitute teachers and school workers who work only during the school year are no longer eligible to receive unemployment benefits because they would not typically be working during the summer,” Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman said. “One exception is federal teachers and school workers, such as BIA employees.”
A total of $3.9 million was paid out in state benefits for the week ending May 16, in addition to $12 million paid out in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, $525,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and $19,000 in Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits. The Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund balance May 31 was $103.4 million.