Over 755,000 unemployment claims in Illinois filed since March

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) said they have processed more than 755,000 initial unemployment claims from March 1 through April 18.

This is 12 times the number of claims IDES processed over the same period last year, with a total of 61,000 initial unemployment claims processed at this time in 2019.

The department processed 102,937 new initial unemployment claims for the week ending on April 18.

IDES paid out more than $700 million in benefits from March 1 through April 16. In the first two weeks of April alone, the department paid more than $500 million in unemployment benefits to claimants.

RELATED:

JOIN THE CONVERSATION (

0

)

Illinois expands access, eligibility for unemployment insurance