More than 1,100 unemployment claims filed from St. Mary last week

St. Mary Parish residents filed 1,147 initial claims for unemployment benefits in the week ending April 4, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

That was up from 811 in the week ending March 28 and 387 in the week ending March 21, just after the first wave of anti-COVID-19 measures began to close or limit the region's businesses.

In St. Martin, 979 people file initial benefit claims last week. In Iberia, 1,479 filed claims.

St. Mary had been engaged in long struggle to recover from depressed oil prices. Total employment, which had topped 27,000 in fall 2014, was down to about 21,000 in fall 2019, according to the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Oil is again playing a role St. Mary's economic woes. As the coronavirus and reduced commerce have depressed oil demand, and Saudi Arabia and Russia engage in a price war, West Texas intermediate crude has fallen to $22.76 on the NYMEX.

Statewide, more than 102,000 people filed new unemployment claims last week.

Gov. John Bel Edwards said about 277,000 Louisiana residents applied for unemployment benefits between March 1 and April 4, compared to about 103,000 during all of 2019, the Center Square reported.