unemployment claims

A Nordstrom store is looking for employees last month in Coral Gables, Fla. Citing a severe shortage of workers, half of the nation's governors have decided to end extra federal jobless benefits months early.

Half Of States Are Ending Pandemic Jobless Aid Early, And The Economy Could Suffer

4:37pm June 03, 2021

by Avie Schneider

Citing a severe shortage of workers, half of the nation's governors have decided to end extra federal jobless benefits months early. But an economist says that will set back households and businesses.

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Diners eat lunch at Max's Oyster Bar in West Hartford, Conn., on March 19. Retail sales surged last month as $1,400 relief payments and easing coronavirus restrictions led shoppers to open their wallets.

Signs Of Economic Boom Emerge As Retail Sales Surge, Jobless Claims Hit Pandemic Low

4:52pm April 15, 2021

by Scott Horsley

Retail sales jumped nearly 10% in March, as shoppers, flush with $1,400 relief payments, are feeling more confident about venturing out. Weekly unemployment claims dropped to a pandemic low.

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President Biden swears in presidential appointees during a virtual ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday. Data on Thursday showed new claims for state unemployment benefits reached 900,000, showcasing the weakening U.S. jobs pi

Unemployment Claims Stay Stubbornly High As Biden Takes Office

11:22am January 21, 2021

by Scott Horsley

New claims for state unemployment benefits dipped last week but remained high, showcasing the economic challenges facing President Biden.

A sign advertises hiring of temporary workers at a Pier 1 store that's going out of business in Coral Gables, Fla. Last week, initial unemployment claims broke a 20-week streak of being above 1 million.

Economy

New Jobless Claims Dip Below 1 Million For 1st Time Since March

4:16pm August 13, 2020

by Scott Horsley

Initial unemployment claims had been above 1 million for 20 straight weeks. The total receiving unemployment also dipped, to 28.3 million, as of July 25.

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Pedestrians pass a New York State Department of Labor office June 11 in Queens. The Federal Reserve expects the U.S. unemployment rate to still be more than 9% by the end of 2020.

Economy

1.5 Million File For Unemployment, But Continuing Claims Decrease Slightly

11:15am June 18, 2020

by Avie Schneider

Another 1.5 million people file for unemployment benefits for the first time, but the number who are continuing to seek the payments continues to decline as workers return to their jobs.

A car drives down an otherwise empty Las Vegas Strip amid the coronavirus pandemic on May 8.

'The Sheer Volume' Is Hard To Capture: Unemployment In Nevada Soars To Historic High

7:18pm May 28, 2020

Nearly 41% of jobs in the state's food and accommodation industry have been lost. The overall levels are comparable to the Great Depression, says David Schmidt, a state economist.

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Launched during the Great Depression, the unemployment insurance system has seen unprecedented strain during the coronavirus crisis.

How A Decades-Old Unemployment Insurance System Is Measuring Up In The Pandemic

5:59pm May 21, 2020

Indivar Dutta-Gupta, a co-executive director at the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, explains the U.S. unemployment insurance system's origins and role today.

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"It's really intense and it's really frightening," says Nicolena Loshonkohl in Roanoke, Va. She's a single mom with a 2-year-old daughter and lost her job at a hair salon a month ago. Loshonkohl is still waiting on the bulk of her unemployment benefits to

Unemployment Money Not Reaching Millions Of People Who Applied

2:26pm April 16, 2020

by Chris Arnold

Nearly 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in recent weeks, but a large portion have yet to receive any money. Freelancers and gig workers face some of the longest delays.

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People who lost their jobs wait in line to file for unemployment benefits at an Arkansas Workforce Center in Fayetteville, Ark., on April 6.

10 Years Of Spectacular U.S. Job Growth Nearly Wiped Out In 4 Weeks

9:56am April 16, 2020

The number of people filing for unemployment climbed by another 5.2 million, as the toll of the nation's economic dive continues to mount. In the past four weeks, 22 million have filed claims.

Line chart showing weekly jobless claims spiking to 6,606,000 the week of April 4.

Economy

Jobs Carnage Mounts: 17 Million File For Unemployment In 3 Weeks

10:39am April 09, 2020

by Jim Zarroli

The number of people seeking jobless benefits shot up again last week, as 6.6 million more of the unemployed filed first-time claims. Much of the economy has shut down, leaving millions out of work.