Over 39,000 Unemployment Claims Filed In Illinois For Week Of June 29, Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

CHICAGO (CBS)-- The Illinois Department of Employment Security said 39,015 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of June 29 in Illinois.

That's a 327% increase over the same timeframe last year, when there were 9,137 new unemployment claims filed in Illinois.

There were 1,314,000 new claims filed across the U.S. last week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Illinois' unemployment claims decreased from the week prior, when 45,752 new claims were filed. This is the most significant decrease we've seen over the last month.

There were 1,427,000 new claims filed across the U.S. during the week of June 22.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 46,005 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of June 15 in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported 44,694 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of June 8 in Illinois. There were 1,508,000 new claims filed across the country during the week of June 8.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 44,814 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of June 1 in Illinois.

CBS 2 spoke with four IDES employees. 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.