US jobless claims rise to 744,000 as layoffs continue

Jobless claims remain stubbornly high by historical standards: Before the coronavirus pandemic erupted, weekly applications typically remained below 220,000 a week.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 744,000, signalling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, consumers gain confidence and the government distributes aid throughout the economy. The United States Department of Labor said Thursday that applications increased by 16,000 from 728,000 a week earlier. Jobless claims have declined sharply since the coronavirus slammed into the economy in March of last year. But they remain stubbornly high by historical standards: Before the pandemic erupted, weekly applications typically remained below 220,000 a week. For the week ending March 27, more than 3.7 million people were receiving traditional state unemployment benefits, the government said. If you include supplemental federal programmes that were established last year to help the unemployed endure the health crisis, a total of 18.2 million are receiving some form of jobless aid the week of March 20.