140,000 more Kansans, Missourians out of work as rate of new jobless claims levels off
More than 140,000 people in Kansas and Missouri filed initial unemployment claims last week, according to data released by the states on Thursday.
While the numbers underscore the mounting economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the data did show a slowdown in the rate of new claims filed.
For the week ending April 4, workers filed 91,049 new jobless claims in Missouri — down from 104,230 the week prior. In Kansas, 50,345 filed new unemployment claims last week, down from previous week’s count of 55,428.
In the last three weeks, more than 237,000 Missourians have filed new unemployment claims, the state reported. Kansas reports nearly 130,000 people have filed new claims over that time frame.
State unemployment insurance programs only replace a portion of a worker’s wages: the weekly benefits are capped at $320 in Missouri and $488 in Kansas.
In late March, Congress and President Donald Trump approved a $2 trillion relief package that will provide a one-time, $1,200 payment to American workers making up to $75,000 per year. Families will receive an additional $500 per child.
The stimulus package also includes an additional $600 per week in unemployment benefits for displaced workers. It also extends benefit eligibility to 39 weeks.
The U.S. Labor Department on Thursday reported 6.6 million new jobless claims across the country for the week ending April 4— a decrease of 261,000 from the previous week.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 8:46 AM with the headline "140,000 more Kansans, Missourians out of work as rate of new jobless claims levels off."
