Jobless claims rose last week, showing layoffs remain stubbornly high

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, showing that layoffs remain a challenge even as the U.S. economy gradually reopens.

Some 770,000 people applied for unemployment benefits in the week ending March 13, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's an increase of 45,000 from the previous week. Another 282,000 filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a special federal program for self-employed and gig workers. That number is down nearly 200,000 from the prior week. Layoffs are continuing despite the overall job market showing solid improvement. In February employers added a robust 379,000 jobs, the most since October and a sign the economy is strengthening as consumers spend more and states and cities ease business restrictions.