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New jobless claims exceed 2008 total
Send to friendJournal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI
By Joel Dresang
Published: 08/20/2009
A clear sign of the unprecedented volume of job losses: Through last week, 2009 initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits in Wisconsin topped the total for all of 2008.
According to data from the state Department of Workforce Development, from the first week of January through Aug. 15, the state received more than 753,000 new benefits applications. That exceeds the 738,352 total reported last year. And 2008 had 15% more jobless claims than 2007.
Although more analysts are suggesting that the economic recession that began in December 2007 may have ended, any turnaround in hiring is expected to be slow and gradual.
A report by the National Employment Law Project estimated that more than 10,000 Wisconsin workers will exhaust their unemployment insurance benefits next month, with nearly 18,000 more to run out of benefits by the end of the year.
How do you think unemployment insurance is holding up?
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