Iowa’s severe derecho continues to take a toll, apparently propelling a surge in joblessness, Iowa Workforce Development said Thursday.
New figures from the U. …
Iowa’s severe derecho continues to take a toll, apparently propelling a surge in joblessness, Iowa Workforce Development said Thursday. New figures from the U. S. Department of Labor show that for the week ended Saturday, there were 6,954 initial unemployment claims in Iowa, up 16% from the week before. „Workers impacted by the derecho on Aug.10, who filed for unemployment benefits are counted in this week’s numbers, which may explain the increase in claims filed,“ Iowa Workforce Development said in a news release. It noted that in Cedar Rapids‘ Linn County, an epicenter for storm damage, the number of initial claims filed was 1,668, compared to 411 the week before the storm. The bad news comes less than a week after Iowa recorded a 6.6% unemployment rate for July, tying with North Dakota for seventh-lowest in the nation. The U. S. rate was 10.
