Between March 15 and April 11, the total number of new unemployment claims in Idaho is nearly 96,000. Numbers from the Idaho Department of Labor Thursday show 18,531 new claims for unemployment insurance last week.
The service industry, tourism and retail remain the hardest-hit sectors statewide. About 29% of all claims since March 15 have been from those industries, according to data from the labor department. New jobless claims from the healthcare industry, manufacturing and office administrative support have also been substantial.
More than 30% of claims have been filed by workers from the Boise metro area; 48% of claims have been made by people age 34 or younger.
In Blaine County, where construction activities remain nonessential, construction-related unemployment claims accounted for 21% of the county’s total last week. That's the second-highest percentage among the state's most-populated counties, behind Bingham County in eastern Idaho.
Phone lines at the Department of Labor remain very busy, and because of programming limitations, officials ask people to file online at labor.idaho.gov using a desktop computer, not a smartphone or tablet.
Follow Troy Oppie on Twitter @GoodBadOppie for more local news.
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