Business

Weekly Jobless Claims Increase Despite Signs Of Improved Labor Market

In February, many of the job gains were in the hospitality and leisure industry while employment declined in education, construction and mining.

Weekly Jobless Claims Increase Despite Signs Of Improved Labor Market
Elise Amendola / AP

Weekly jobless claims in the U.S. rose to 719,000 last week as layoffs continue. That's up by 61,000 compared to the week before.

It signals employers are still cutting jobs even as more businesses reopen and federal aid starts making its way across the country.

Before the pandemic forced shutdowns last year, weekly jobless claims were typically under 220,000.