793K Americans Filed For Initial Unemployment Benefits Last Week
Feb 11, 2021, 7:28 AM
Another 793,000 American workers filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Department of Labor. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
America’s unemployment crisis shows no signs of letting up.
Another 793,000 American workers filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Department of Labor.
Jobless claims continue to be stubbornly high: That was a higher number than in the previous week and more than economists had expected.
On top of regular state claims, 334,524 people filed for benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance programs, which provides aid for gig workers and the self-employed. This number is not seasonally adjusted. It was a slight decrease from the week before.
Added together, 1.1 million workers filed for first-time claims last week, without seasonal adjustments.
Continued claims, which count people who filed for at least two weeks of benefits in a row, stood at 4.5 million.
In short, America’s jobs crisis roars on as the nation inched closer to the one-year anniversary of the pandemic.
Long-term unemployment is still a problem in this crisis, even after many jobless workers could return to their previous jobs. Many newly unemployed people in September and October experienced joblessness for the second time during the pandemic, according to a report from the JPMorgan Chase Institute published Thursday.
