A woman walks past the offices of the New York State Department of Labor in the Queens borough of New York City, NY, January 8, 2021. The Labor Department reported job loss of 140,000, in December 2020, a drop for the first time in eight months, as U.S. unemployment rate stay steady at 6.7%. (Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA)
NY: Economy Sees Job Loss
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs.
Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims
Initial claims were 965,000 for the week ending 1/9 (+181,000).
Insured unemployment was 5,271,000 for the week ending 1/2 (+199,000).https://t.co/ys7Eg5LKAW
— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) January 14, 2021
The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck.
Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000.
Last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect, applications for jobless benefits spiked to nearly 7 million — 10 times the previous record high. After declining over the summer, weekly claims have been stuck above 700,000 since September.
