WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 89,000 last week to a still-elevated 803,000, evidence that the job market remains under stress nine months after the coronavirus outbreak sent the U.S. economy into recession and caused millions of layoffs.
The latest figure shows that many employers are still cutting jobs as the pandemic tightens business restrictions and leads many consumers to stay home.
Before the virus struck, applications typically numbered around 225,000 a week before shooting up to 6.9 million in early spring when the virus — and efforts to contain it — flattened the economy. It has since come down but remains at historically high levels.
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