Illinois unemployment claims double

Illinois unemployment numbers dropped for a week during the holidays, but they were back up last week as the state's hospitality industry remains out in the cold.

After the number of Illinoisans filing for unemployment dropped significantly during the holidays, their numbers bounced back up during the week ended Jan. 9. Requests rose to 96,667 from 45,387.

Those receiving ongoing benefits rose by over 30,000 for the week ended Jan. 2. There were 362,145 workers receiving benefits that week. Benefits data lags new claims numbers by a week.

Illinois has seen new claims rise since Tier 3 mitigation mandates were imposed Nov. 20 by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, closing all indoor service at bars and restaurants as cold weather set in and made outdoor service difficult.

The national number of new claims was up to 965,000, a rise of 181,000 from the prior week. Those receiving unemployment benefits in the U.S. rose by nearly 200,000  to almost 5.3 million.