INDIANAPOLIS — About 12,700 Hoosiers filed first-time unemployment claims last week, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor.
A total of 12,732 people filed claims, an increase from the previous week's adjusted total of 12,234. The number of claims in Indiana remained above 20,000 for 17 straight weeks from early-March to mid-July, before dipping.
More than 1.1 million Hoosiers have filed for unemployment since the pandemic began in March.
The number of first-time unemployment claims is about half as many that were filed in the first week of December when 23,622 claims were submitted.
Nationally, the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 19,000, but remained at an elevated number of 787,000 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hold a grip on the U.S. economy.
