Unemployment Benefit Claims Declining, Still at Historical Highs

Filings for jobless benefits rose to 1.1 million last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, suggesting an uptick in layoffs as the economy slowly recovers from the pandemic’s effects.

New applications for unemployment benefits have eased in recent weeks but remain at historically high levels, indicating that the labor market is healing but still far from recovered from the economic shock caused by the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

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