LINCOLN — The wave of new jobless claims continued in Nebraska last week, as coronavirus-related layoffs and furloughs swamped the state’s unemployment system.

The Nebraska Department of Labor reported Thursday that 12,340 workers had filed first-time unemployment claims during the week just ended. That was down from 16,391 the previous week, but several times the pre-pandemic levels.

The five-week total of new claims exceeded 96,000 workers. The crush of claims has slowed processing and left unemployed workers waiting weeks to get their first payments. It also is taking a toll on the state’s economy. One new study used those jobless claims to estimate the economic impact on Nebraska at $835 million between March 14 and April 4.

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