First-time jobless claims continued to decline last week in Nebraska as the state battles its way back from massive pandemic-related job losses.
There were about 4,700 new claims last week, an almost 8% decline from the week before.
There were more than 26,000 initial jobless claims in Nebraska filed in the first week of April, the highest total number of claims during the pandemic.
The Department of Labor aims to pay out claims within 28 days. According to a statement, 85% of regular unemployment claims were paid within that time, and 75% were paid within 21 days. And 7,693 claims have not been processed.
The state paid out nearly $63 million in total benefits last week, including federal programs through the CARES Act.
About 58,300 Nebraskans were paid unemployment benefits last week; 110,880 people total have received benefits at some point during the pandemic.
Credit: Nebraska Department of Labor
Credit: Nebraska Department of Labor