This dataset reports total weekly unemployment insurance initial claims and continued weeks claimed statewide in Iowa by week. Data for the most current week is preliminary. Initial claims data for states are combined and published weekly by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. This national data is widely reported as an economic indicator. This data is based on the ETA-539 report. This dataset is based on administrative data. Claims activity represents the week the claims were processed. It may not always represent the week unemployment occurred.
An initial claim represents a new spell of unemployment. The duration of unemployment may vary. [Notes on Voluntary Workshare Program: Workshare preserves employees' jobs and employers' trained workforces during disruptions to regular business activity by reducing hours of work for an entire group of affected employees rather than laying off some employees while others continue to work full time. Workshare provides a portion of a weekly unemployment compensation payment to certain individuals whose workweeks have been reduced. The program cushions the adverse effect of the reduction in business activity on workers and ensures that these workers will be available to resume prior employment levels when business demand increases. Workshare is different than regular Unemployment Insurance. In situations where there is a reduced number of work hours but the individual may not qualify for regular UI benefits due to the hours worked and wages earned, Workshare offers another potential option for partial wage replacement. Workshare equivalent claims are adjusted based on the proportion of the week being claimed. That is, if 100 Workshare claimants each claimed 1/5th of a week, the equivalent continued weeks claimed would be 20 weeks. Workshare is also known as Short-time compensation (STC).] Includes regular Iowa UI program. It does not include Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE), Unemployment Compensation for Ex-servicemembers (UCX) and temporary extensions such as Extended Benefits (EB) and Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC).