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The number of unemployment claims in North Dakota has dropped dramatically since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Job Service North Dakota Deputy Director Darren Brostrom said at one point, around 100,000 individual claims were filed for state unemployment support. And Brostrom said the two federal programs created because of the pandemic – the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance Program – had another 80,000 claims.
"Of those, there are quit a few repeats," Brostrom said. "As far as individuals, the 110,000 mark is probably appropriate."
Brostrom said after that peak, Job Service has seen quite a reduction in filed claims.