Iowa Workforce Development anticipates a gap in federal unemployment benefits that are set to expire Dec. 26 regardless of whether the federal government passes a stimulus bill before the program ends.
After a potential bill is signed, IWD still will need to wait for guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor before issuing federal benefits.
That’s likely to result in a payment gap lasting “an unknown period of time,” according to a news release.
“We will work diligently to implement the necessary changes as soon as we possibly can,” IWD said in the news release.
“We will have limited resources available to answer customer service calls over the holiday season.”
Jobless Claims Top 800,000 For Third Straight Week
23 Dec 2020
New weekly jobless claims fell by 89,000 to 803,000 in the week that ended December 19, the Department of Labor said Wednesday.
The prior week’s initial claims number was revised up to 892,000 from the initial estimate of 885,000.
Economists had forecast a decline in claims to 875,000, according to Econoday.
Jobless claims can be volatile week to week so many economists prefer to look at the four-week average. This rose to 818,250, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised level.
Jobless claims which are a proxy for layoffs remain at extremely high levels. Prior to the pandemic, the highest level of claims was 695,000 hit in October of 1982. In March of 2009, at the depths of the financial crisis recession, jobless claims peaked at 665,000.
Key Labor Provisions in the COVID-19 Response Package
Isabel Soto
Executive Summary
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) – which includes the latest coronavirus relief plan – extends several pre-existing provisions from previous coronavirus-related legislation that support unemployed individuals and those still attached to the labor force.
Provisions that support those connected to the workforce include extending paid sick leave provisions from prior legislation, additional funding for employment training, and additional funding for the Child Care & Development Block Grant program.
Provisions that support the unemployed include $300 a week in supplemental unemployment compensation and the continuation of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.
Introduction
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