BOISE (CBS2) — Nationwide, a new jobs report finds almost 5 million jobs were added last month.
"I think it's very encouraging to see Idahoans and people across the country going back to work," said Jani Revier, director of the Idaho Department of Labor. "Everybody would rather see people gainfully employed than on unemployment. We're entering a new normal on how we deal with Covid-19 still present."
Revier says new unemployment claims jumped 26% last week to about 5,500.
"Too early to say what that it is," she said. "But when you have parts of the Treasure Valley moved back to Stage 3, that probably has something to do with that uptick."
Revier says the labor department is catching up on pending claims faster than anticipated.
85% of some 40,000 outstanding claims or issues have been resolved.
Revier says the state should be caught up by the middle of this month.
But as the state and country slowly recover, the COVID-19 outbreak has since been accelerating in many states, which could put the brakes on economic recovery.
"This still a high number of claims," Revier said. "We're working to address the continued high volume of claims."
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