Over 70,600 Unemployment Claims Filed In Illinois For Week Of Nov. 2, Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

CHICAGO (CBS)– The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 70,659 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Nov. 2 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday.

While this number is based on advanced estimates, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will be releasing a final number later Thursday.

Illinois’ estimated claims were among 709,000 total filed across the country last week. 

There were 73,515 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of Oct. 26 in Illinois, which had the second largest weekly increase (38%) in the nation, according to the latest report released last Thursday.

There were 46,948 new unemployment claims filed across the state, the week of Oct. 12.

There were 36,267 new unemployment claims in Illinois the week of Sept. 28.

IDES reported 29,390 new unemployment claims in Illinois the week of Sept. 21.

Another 25,976 claims were filed in Illinois the week of Sept. 14.

IDES has faced ongoing struggles filling claims during the pandemic. CBS 2 spoke with four IDES employees in May. For the first time, these workers offered a glimpse into the challenges IDES employees face daily working to get thousands of new unemployment claims processed, as well as the factors they believe contribute to why so many people have not received their benefits.

CBS 2 has extensively reported about how unemployment has surged in Illinois and neighboring states during the coronavirus pandemic.