U.S. Unemployment Claims Nearly Steady as Extra $300 Payments Start

New applications for unemployment aid held nearly steady during the week of New Year’s, as an extra $300 in weekly payments kicked in from the coronavirus aid package signed into law last month.

Weekly initial claims for jobless benefits from regular state programs, a proxy for layoffs, fell by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 787,000 in the week ended Jan. 2, the Labor Department said Thursday. The prior week’s figure was revised up by 3,000.

Unemployment claims have remained at high levels during the pandemic—holding at four times their pre-pandemic...