U.S. layoffs remain elevated as 837,000 seek jobless aid
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, AP Economics Writer
Published: October 1, 2020, 10:44am
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FILE - In this June 25, 2020, file photo, rows of United Airlines check-in counters at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago are unoccupied amid the coronavirus pandemic. About 40,000 workers in the airline industry are facing layoffs on Thursday, Oct. 1, unless Congress comes up with another aid package. With air travel down about 70% from last year, many carriers including United and American say they'll be forced to cut jobs without additional aid. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)Photo Gallery
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer.
The Labor Department’s report, released Thursday, suggests that companies are still cutting a historically high number of jobs, though the weekly numbers have become less reliable as states have increased their efforts to root out fraudulent claims and process earlier applications that have piled up.
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