US jobless claims jump to 770,000 despite reopenings

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 770,000 from 725,000 the week before.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 770,000, a sign that layoffs remain high even as much of the United States economy is steadily recovering from the recession sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. Thursday’s report from the US Department of Labor showed that jobless claims climbed from 725,000 the week before. The numbers have dropped sharply since the depths of the recession last spring, but still show that employers in some industries continue to lay off workers. Before the pandemic struck, applications for unemployment aid had never topped 700,000 in any one week. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out weekly variations, dropped to 746,000, the lowest since late November.