A further 1.3 million people filed for unemployment in the US last week as the economic damage inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll.
The Unemployment claims have declined significantly since mid-April, leveling off at around the one million mark in recent weeks after the country reopened for business. In the week ending 11 July, jobless claims dropped by just 10,000 compared to the previous week, Labor Department figures showed.
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That was a lower-than-expected reduction, signaling the fragility of the country’s economic recovery as coronavirus infections surge once more nationwide.
This week’s new claims were almost double the pre-pandemic record set in 1982.
The Labor Department’s report on Thursday showed the total number of unemployed people as of 4 July was 17.3 million, a decrease of 422,000 in the previous week.
