New unemployment claims surge in Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (WDSU) – There’s no been no official connection made yet in Louisiana, but a surge in new claims for unemployment insurance with the state is lining up with an increase in coronavirus cases.

The U.S. Employment and Training Administration reported Thursday there were 42,724 applications for jobless benefits filed in Louisiana in the week that ended Nov. 14. That’s up dramatically from 10,045 the week

A year ago, there were only 2,210 claims filed during the comparable week.

Figures for the number of Louisiana residents receiving continued unemployment benefits don’t include the latest claims numbers. As of Nov. 7, the count stood at 85,342 — or 4.5% of the state’s eligible workforce.