I lost my job when the U.S. housing market collapsed in 2008 and unemployment soared, pushing homeowners into foreclosure and the nation into crisis. For the first time in my life, I filed for unemployment benefits, which would keep me afloat for nine long months. A bachelor’s degree didn’t insulate me from financial distress nor […]
unemployment
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‘A middle finger to hardworking Iowans’: Iowa House and Senate approve bill to cut unemployment benefits
On Wednesday, the Iowa House and the Iowa Senate both passed versions of a bill that will cut unemployment benefits and is designed to force unemployed Iowans to take jobs that pay less than their former jobs more quickly than current law does. The bills passed both chambers with only Republicans voting for them. Cutting […]
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Condition of the State: COVID cases and hospitalizations near record levels; Gov. Reynolds avoids mentioning pandemic in speech to legislature
The surge in COVID-19 continues in Iowa, with the Iowa Department of Public Health reporting weekly totals for new cases and hospitalization not seen since the worst of the pandemic in late 2020. IDPH reported 31,748 new cases in its weekly update on Wednesday, a 58 percent increase from the 20,075 new cases in its […]
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Unemployment claims in Iowa grow again, as businesses in 77 counties prepare to reopen and workers face important choices
The number of Iowans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits grew slightly during the most recent reporting period, according to new numbers released by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) on Thursday morning. A total of 28,827 first-time claims were filed in the week ending April 25. That’s 925 more first-time claims than were filed during the […]
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‘We must learn to live with COVID’: Reynolds announces partial reopening of businesses in 77 counties
Starting on May 1, workers in 77 Iowa counties will have to choose between returning to jobs at which they may not feel safe and losing their unemployment benefits. Gov. Kim Reynolds didn’t mention the possible loss of benefits when she announced the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions on businesses in 77 of the state’s 99 […]
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A new study finds 87 percent of Iowa restaurants and bars have laid off workers
For the first time in five weeks, the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits filed in Iowa was under 40,000. Iowa Workforce Development reported on Thursday that 27,912 first-time claims were filed for the week ending April 18. Since the impact of COVID-19 and the mitigation efforts to limit its spread began being felt […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Another 46,000 unemployment claims filed in Iowa, as a new report estimates COVID-19 will cost state’s ag economy $6.3 billion
More than 46,000 first-time unemployment claims were filed in Iowa during the week ending April 11, Iowa Workforce Development reported on Thursday. The new claims were less than those reported during the previous two weeks but higher than the 41,890 first-time claims filed during the week ending March 21, the first period that reflected the impact of COVID-19 in the state.
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Reynolds: Do as you’re told, don’t ask questions
Gov. Kim Reynolds wants people to stop asking questions about how she is making decisions while directing the state’s response to COVID-19, and just do what she says. Reynolds and Iowa Department of Public Health officials constantly refer to “the metrics” they use for decisions, while offering little information about those metrics. Four of the […]
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Unemployment claims reach a new high in Iowa
For the third week in a row, the number for first-time unemployment claims reported by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) set a new record. For the week ending April 4, IWD received 67,334 first-claims, an increase of 8,881 from the 58,453 that were filed during the week ending March 28.
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COVID-19 causes unemployment to surge in Iowa
Almost 42,000 Iowans filed first-time claims for unemployment during the week starting March 15, Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) reported on Thursday. During the governor’s press conference last Friday, IWD Director Beth Townsend called the number of new unemployment filings her department was receiving “pretty staggering.” “Essentially, what we’re receiving on a daily basis is what […]
