Unemployment claims rise, showing job losses continue amid pandemic

The number of Americans applying for jobless aid ticked up last week, signaling that layoffs continue even as the overall economy slowly recovers.

Some 719,000 people applied for unemployment benefits in the week ending March 27, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's an increase of 61,000 from the week before. Another 237,000 people applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federal program for the self-employed and gig workers.