Unemployment filings in South Dakota surge as COVID-19 spreads
Need a job, casual unemployed adult male with poster
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Unemployment filings in South Dakota surged to 1,703 last week as COVID-19 spread in communities in South Dakota, state officials announced on Thursday.
The number is nearly a nine-fold increase from the previous week. Employers across the country have laid off workers due to the economic downturn from the coronavirus, prompting nearly 3.3 million Americans to apply for unemployment last week.
“A large number of employers are announcing COVID-19 related layoffs, so we anticipate the number of new unemployment claims will continue to rise,” said state Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman.
The state’s call center for filing unemployment claims has been swamped with calls.
