A record number of workers have filed for unemployment benefits in Iowa for the second week in a row, as businesses closed and consumers remained at home, leaving nearly 60,000 more Iowans short of pay.

In the week that ended Saturday, 58,453 people filed initial unemployment claims in Iowa, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. It was the highest number of initial claims the state has seen in a single week, according to federal data going back to 1987.

The unprecedented surge in unemployment insurance claims comes just weeks after the novel coronavirus was first detected in Iowa. The state received 40,952 claims the week before, beating the previous record of 14,201 claims, filed during a single week in December 2000.

The losses show an instant, deep drop that surpasses even the Great Recession for Iowans. In the past two weeks, the state has seen a combined 99,405 unemployment claims, far exceeding the combined 64,600 jobs it lost from May 2008 to January 2010, the height of the recession.

► More:The latest on the coronavirus outbreak in Iowa

Iowa's record came as about 6.6 million people filed for unemployment insurance last week in the United States, also a record. The figure doubles the previous record of 3.3 million Americans, set the week before.

"We've never been through this," said Thomas Root, an associate professor of finance at Drake University.

In an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a series of orders beginning on March 17 to shut down businesses, from bars and gyms to salons, barbershops and clothing stores.

Of the jobs lost the past two weeks, about a quarter were in the food and accommodations sector, according to Iowa Workforce Development.

Steven Volkmer-Jones, 67, a former server at Alba in the East Village, said his boss laid him off on March 17, the day Reynolds issued an order ending dine-in services at restaurants. He applied for unemployment benefits online that afternoon and had no trouble submitting his claim.

Volkmer-Jones received his first check, for $360, last week. He does not know when the extra $600-a-week benefit from the federal government's stimulus package might kick in. (Iowa Workforce Development did not respond to a Des Moines Register message seeking that information.)

Teneshia Spears, 34, the former senior food and beverage supervisor at the Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel, said she still is waiting for her benefit. When her boss told her March 17 that he would have to cut back her hours, she said she applied for unemployment insurance online.

Iowa Workforce Development sent her a letter dated March 25, telling her, "Your Unemployment Insurance claim ends" April 5. She said she doesn't know what that means.

Spears asked for clarification in an email to the agency, writing that she still did not know whether her application had been approved. Iowa Workforce Development did not answer her question in a copy of a message she provided to the Register, telling her only that weekly claims must be submitted every Sunday. Iowa Workforce Development also sent her a link to its handbook, explaining how unemployment claims generally are administered.

Spears said she has not been able to get through to an employee when she has called the department. At times, she said, she has hung up after about 15 minutes of waiting for someone to answer. On Wednesday, she said she called the department 12 times and continually heard a busy signal.

"I've tried to call at different times," she said. "Early morning. Later morning. Early afternoon. Later afternoon. I've called and gotten the same thing."

Spears, the mother of 13- and 16-year-old girls, lives on a budget of about $700 a week. She is not worried about this month's rent. But she does not have enough to pay May's.

"I might not get an answer for a while," she said. "I might have gotten lost somewhere in the cracks. I don't know. I don't know if the application is in process. I don't know if it's been received. I don't know if it's been accepted. I don't know if relief is coming. I just don't know."

The Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan research arm of Congress, released data Thursday predicting that the national unemployment rate will exceed 10% this spring, surpassing the height of the Great Recession. The analysts predict the damage will last 20 months, with the unemployment rate still around 9% at the end of next year.

A survey of supply chain managers in the Midwest, released Wednesday, indicates that the manufacturing sector contracted in late March, with confidence in the sector at lows not seen since 2009.

“I can’t think of a time when we intentionally slowed down and stopped what we think of as the broad economy," said Root, the Drake University professor. "People being behind on bills, even if they get a break, is still going to create a significant drag. It’s going to be difficult to gauge how long it will take to get us back toward normal.”

► More:Updated COVID-19 maps and charts track cases and data in Iowa and across the U.S.

Hoping businesses will want to take out more loans and expand their companies when the coronavirus is no longer a problem, regulators pumped money into banks last month.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates to almost zero and purchased U.S. treasuries and mortgage-backed securities, taking long-term loans from banks in exchange for cash. Regulators hope banks will be able to issue loans faster as a result.

The Fed also created lending institutions where banks can take out more cash. On March 17, for example, the Fed opened the Commercial Paper Funding Facility, a market where banks and regulators can swap money and instruments of short-term debt. The Fed previously operated the market from 2008 to 2010, to inject more money into banks during the Great Recession.

Congress passed three stimulus bills last month to give residents and businesses more money. Most recently, on March 27, President Donald Trump signed a $2 trillion stimulus package.

The bill gives laid-off workers an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits for the next four months. It allows independent contractors and freelancers to qualify for unemployment, something they usually are not able to do. It also allows unemployed Iowans to receive money for 39 weeks, instead of the standard 26 weeks.

The stimulus provides a series of low-interest loans to small businesses, giving them enough money to make payroll for eight weeks. Business owners can also use the money to pay rent, mortgage interest payments and utility bills.

If the borrowers follow certain stipulations, they will not have to pay back the debt.

"We don't know what the impact of this is going to look like," Root said. "(The federal government has) done what they need to do — both the Fed and the fiscal policy — to signal to businesses and consumers that we're able to keep functioning. But I don't think you can know until we open the economy back up.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we see more changes and more responses over the next month or two."

► More:Laid off or laid up because of the coronavirus? Here's how to apply for unemployment benefits.

How to apply for unemployment

When to file

Plan to file an initial claim at the beginning of the week you know you will become unemployed or start working reduced hours, Iowa Workforce Development says. The sooner you apply, the sooner you can get benefits. The agency offers this reminder: "Your unemployment insurance claim DOES NOT begin on the date your job ended or your hours were reduced. Your claim is effective the Sunday of the week you apply."

Where to file

If you have access to a computer, sign in or create an online account at uiclaims.iwd.iowa.gov/UIInitialClaim/. IowaWORKS offices will only be open to people with appointments, or to accept identity verification from those applying for benefits. The state encourages workers to call 866-239-0843.

What you’ll need to provide

You'll need your Social Security number; your full legal name; the names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and relationships to you of up to four dependents; your mailing address, including your ZIP code; your telephone number; the name of your most recent employer as it appears on your pay stubs or W-2 forms; your starting and ending work dates; your reason for leaving your job; and, if you're not a U.S. citizen, your employment authorization number and expiration date. If you have worked for a temporary placement or staffing agency, you should list the name of the agency and not the name of the client you were assigned to work for.

Who's eligible

To be eligible, Iowans need to have worked for wages in six of the last 18 months and have earned at least $2,500 during that period. You don't need to have been laid off to qualify — Iowa allows partial unemployment benefits for those whose hours or pay are cut. Impacted employees still need to report their wages earned per week when filing for benefits. Also eligible are self-employed people who have been paying unemployment insurance taxes, have paid themselves wages and meet the minimum wage requirement, according to Iowa Workforce Development. Contract workers who meet the minimum wage requirement may also apply.

What you'll get

Iowans impacted by coronavirus can expect to receive a check a week to 10 days after filing a claim — a faster-than-normal turnaround. The state also is waiving its requirement that Iowans impacted by coronavirus look for work each week. Iowans must still file weekly claims, though. The minimum weekly benefit you would receive is $87 and the maximum is $591, depending on your earnings history and how many dependents you have, Iowa Workforce Development says online. Workers may qualify for an additional $600 a week as a result of the federal stimulus bill.

How you'll get it

You'll receive a letter in the mail with your weekly benefit amount, at which point you'll have to decide if you want the weekly checks directly deposited to a checking or savings account or provided as a debit card.

How long you'll get it

A proposal passed by the U.S. House and under consideration in the Senate would double the amount of time a laid-off worker is eligible for unemployment benefits to one year from 26 weeks.

Tyler Jett covers jobs and the economy for the Register. Contact him at 515-284-8215 and tjett@registermedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.

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