3.2M workers remain on jobless benefits despite drop in weekly claims

More than 3.2 million Americans remained on traditional state unemployment benefits even as the number of people seeking new claims fell last week to a new pandemic low, the feds said Thursday.

Continuing claims fell by 126,000 from just over 3.3 million the week before, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department. That figure stood at more than 16 million at the same time last year, in the thick of the pandemic. Continuing claims have fallen significantly since peaks seen in 2020, but the figure remains about twice as high as pre-pandemic levels.