US Jobless Claims Fall to Pandemic Low
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From the Left
US jobless claims fall to 684,000, fewest since pandemicThe number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to 684,000, the fewest since the pandemic erupted a year ago and a sign that the economy is improving.
Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims fell from 781,000 the week before. It is the first time that weekly applications for jobless aid have fallen below 700,000 since mid-March of last year. Before the pandemic tore through the economy, applications had never topped that level.
Still, a total of 18.9 million people are continuing to collect...
From the Right
Unemployment claims sink to coronavirus pandemic low of 684,000The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits fell to the lowest number since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Labor Department.
Data released Thursday showed 684,000 Americans filed first-time jobless claims in the week ended March 20. Analysts surveyed by Refintiv were expecting 730,000 filings. The prior week’s reading was revised up by 11,000 to 781,000. Continuing claims, or the number of Americans who continued receiving unemployment benefits, fell to 3.87 million for the week ended March 13, down from an upwardly revised 4.134 million...
From the Left
U.S. State Jobless Claims Fell to Pandemic-Era Low Last WeekApplications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell to the lowest in a year, signaling improvement for the labor market as more Americans get Covid-19 vaccinations and business restrictions ease in many states.
Initial claims in regular state programs fell by 97,000 to 684,000 in the week ended March 20, Labor Department data showed Thursday. On an unadjusted basis, the claims decreased by 100,412 to 656,789 last week, led by sharp drops in Illinois and Ohio. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey had called for 730,000 initial claims.
The initial claims...
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