COLUMBUS, Ind. — The number of Bartholomew County workers applying for unemployment benefits steadily rose last month as the pandemic accelerated across the state.
A total of 243 workers filed initial jobless claims the week ending Nov. 28, up from 123 the week ending Nov. 7 and the fourth consecutive week of increases, according to the most recent data from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
Though the number of initial claims filed last month was considerably lower than in the spring, workers were still filing claims at higher rates than in recent years, according to state records.
An average of 29 workers in Bartholomew County filed initial unemployment claims each week from 2015 to 2019.
A total of 563 Bartholomew County workers received some form of jobless aid the week ending Nov. 21, continuing a downward trend since early May.
By comparison, the total number of workers drawing unemployment benefits never exceeded 398 during any week from 2015 to 2019.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
