North Dakota unemployment insurance claims plummet since pandemic began

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR/KCND) – Job Service North Dakota says the number of unemployment claims has dropped dramatically since the early days of the pandemic.

Deputy Director Darren Brostrom says at one point, around 100,000 unemployment insurance claims were filed.  He says the number of claims peaked in early May, when around 13,000 claims were filed in one week.

Two federal programs; the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance Program, processed approximately 80,000 claims.

Brostrom says 650 unemployment insurance claims were filed in the past week.  He says some of those claims are considered normal and seasonal.