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US Unemployment Benefit Claims Rise as Coronavirus Cases Surge

Ken Bredemeier

   WASHINGTON - U.S. unemployment benefit claims increased last week, the
   Labor Department reported Thursday, with the country's recent surge in
   coronavirus cases posing a new threat to the world's biggest economy.

   Seasonally adjusted, a total of 742,000 jobless workers filed new
   applications for unemployment compensation, up 31,000 from the revised
   figure of the week before. It was the fifth straight week the number
   fell below 800,000 but remained above the highest pre-pandemic figure
   on record that dates back to the 1960s.

   A total of 6.4 million workers remain unemployed, a 4.3% jobless rate
   for the first week in November, the Labor Department said.

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