In Idaho, polling service Fitch Ratings said more than 14% of the state workforce has filed for unemployment. During the week ending May 2, nearly 72,000 people in Idaho received continuous unemployment benefits.
Data released by the Idaho Department of Labor Thursday shows nearly 7,500 new filings for the week ending May 2, bringing the total number of initial unemployment claims filed since mid-March to more than 125,000. The number of new claims filed each reporting period has declined for five straight weeks.
Fifty-seven percent of initial claims have become continuous, meaning benefits have been paid for more than one week.
According to the latest report from the US Department of Labor Statistics, more than 20 million Americans lost jobs in April. The national unemployment rate is 14.7%, the highest since 1982.
Peak unemployment during the depression was 24.9%, long before the agency tracked unemployment data in a way comparable to today.
Friday's national jobless report covers a period from mid-March to mid-April, and provides a more in-depth, but delayed picture of the American economy. The national unemployment rate is calculated using surveys, payroll data and unemployment insurance claim numbers.
Data doesn’t always reflect workers out of work due to furlough or people who are not actively looking for work. Economists say those factors can skew the results lower than reality.
State-specific unemployment rate numbers from April will be announced May 22.
Follow Troy Oppie on Twitter @GoodBadOppie for more local news.
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