U.S.

U.S. Sees Fewest Weekly Jobless Claims Since Start Of Pandemic

New jobless claims fell to 684,000 last week as the labor market shows signs of improvement.

U.S. Sees Fewest Weekly Jobless Claims Since Start Of Pandemic
Nam Y. Huh / AP
SMS

As the vaccine rollout continues, new jobless claims in the U.S. fell last week to 684,000 – the fewest since the pandemic began. 

That's nearly a drop of 100,000 from the previous week and the first time that weekly applications for jobless aid have fallen below 700,000 since last March. 

It's a sign of an improving labor market though nearly 19 million people are still collecting jobless benefits.