US jobless claims rise to 770,000 with layoffs still high

FILE – In this March 4, 2021, file photo, a sign reading “Welcome Back Now Open” is posted on the window of a Morton’s Steakhouse restaurant as a man works inside during the coronavirus pandemic in San Francisco. California lost close to 70,000 jobs in January. But new numbers released Friday, March 12, 2021, by the state’s Employment Development Department show the unemployment rate declined slightly to 9%. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Mar 18, 2021 / 11:00 AM AST

Updated: Mar 18, 2021 / 11:37 AM AST

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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 770,000, a sign that layoffs remain high even as much of the U.S. economy is steadily recovering from the coronavirus recession.

Thursday’s report from the Labor Department 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.