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Another 965,000 people applied for unemployment benefits for the first time on a seasonally adjusted basis in the United States last week, the Department of Labor reported Thursday.
This was significantly higher than the week before, when 784,000 Americans claimed unemployment benefits.
First-time weekly jobless claims are stuck at an uncomfortably high level. At the end of August the figure fell below 1 million, but since then significant improvements have been hard to come by – and last week has been a huge step in the wrong direction.
In addition to the regular requests, 284,470 workers filed for assistance in the event of an unemployment pandemic. The program provides assistance to people such as the self-employed or construction workers, who are not covered by regular benefits. After the new stimulus deal extended the program, it is now slated to end in March.
Together, initial claims totaled $ 1.4 million last week, excluding seasonal adjustment.
Persistent claims, which include workers who have requested help for at least two consecutive weeks, stood at 5.3 million in the week ended Jan. 2.
This is a developing story. It will be updated
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