Business

Weekly Jobless Claims Rise To 745,000 As Layoffs Remain High

The Labor Department estimates some 18 million Americans are collecting some form of unemployment aid.

Weekly Jobless Claims Rise To 745,000 As Layoffs Remain High
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
SMS

The Labor Department has released its weekly unemployment numbers. 

745,000 people filed first-time jobless claims, up by about 9,000 from the previous week. 

To put it into perspective, that figure had never topped 700,000 prior to the pandemic, even during the Great Recession of the late 2000s. 

In total, an estimated 18 million Americans are collecting some form of unemployment aid. 

While the economy is showing signs of improvement, this is a sign that many employers are still cutting jobs.