Economics
U.S. Jobless Claims Drop, Offering Ray of Hope for Labor Market
- Benefits applications remain well above pre-pandemic levels
- Further improvement threatened by surge in coronavirus cases
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Applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits fell by the most in almost two months, offering some hope that the gradual recovery in the job market will continue despite a spike in Covid-19 infections and renewed business restrictions.
Initial jobless claims in regular state programs decreased by 75,000 to 712,000 in the week ended Nov. 28, the first drop in three weeks, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Without adjustments for seasonal fluctuations, applications dropped by about 122,000 during the period.