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More than 125,000 Idahoans have filed for unemployment during pandemic, labor department says

The department says the number of laid-off workers in the last seven weeks is more than double the total number of claims filed in all of 2019.

BOISE, Idaho — Officials say another 7,500 laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. 

The Idaho Department of Labor said Thursday that more than 125,000 initial unemployment claims have been made since mid-March, when the state’s first confirmed coronavirus case appeared in southwestern Idaho. 

The department says the number of laid-off workers in the last seven weeks is more than double the total number of claims filed in all of 2019. 

Service jobs accounted for nearly 17% of the total claims filed last week, with health care and social assistance jobs representing about 14% and retail jobs accounted for 12%. The three sectors combined represent 43% of total new claims filed during the week.

Layoffs due to the pandemic continue to affect people of all ages, according to the department, with young people under age 25 representing more than 26% of initial claims for the week. 

The labor department paid out more than $59 million in benefits to laid-off Idaho workers between March 23 and May 2. 

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