(KNSI) — The United States Department of Labor reported Thursday that Minnesota had a 97% increase in claims compared to the week before.
They were also nearly double the levels from the same week last year and in 2019 before the pandemic. Initial claims filed for the week ending June 3rd totaled 5,563.
In an email from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to KNSI News explains the spike in unemployment claims last week is due to a policy change, not a surge in layoffs.
DEED Communications Project Manager Rita Beatty says non-instructional staff are now eligible for unemployment insurance in the summer when school is out of session. That includes roles like lunch servers and maintenance workers in K-12 school districts and at colleges.
Beatty says DEED expects initial claims to remain elevated for several weeks due to the new law.
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