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US Jobless Benefit Claims Rise for 2nd Week in a Row

Ken Bredemeier

   WASHINGTON - U.S. unemployment benefit claims are on the rise again,
   increasing last week for the second week in a row, the Labor Department
   reported Wednesday.

   With the country's recent surge in coronavirus cases posing a new
   threat to the world's biggest economy, a total of 778,000 jobless
   workers filed new applications for jobless compensation, up 30,000 from
   the revised figure of the week before.

   It was the sixth straight week the number fell below 800,000 but
   remained above the highest pre-pandemic figure in records that date to
   the 1960s. It also was the first time since July that claims had risen
   in back-to-back weeks.
   A total of 6.1 million workers remain unemployed, translating to a 4.1%
   jobless rate for the second week in November, the Labor Department
   said.

   The unemployment rate is a marked improvement from the pandemic low
   point -- a 14.7% jobless rate in April. But with more than a million
   new coronavirus cases being recorded in the U.S. each of the last two
   weeks, state governors and municipal officials have been imposing new
   restrictions on business activity, after lifting similar curbs month
   ago, as the virus seemed to ebb.

   The new restrictions could portend more U.S. workers being laid off in
   the coming weeks as retail stores cut the hours they are open,
   restaurants close and entertainment and arts centers cancel live shows.
   The approaching colder winter weather in the U.S. also means that fewer
   outdoor gatherings are possible.

   Numerous health officials are urging Americans to stay home this week
   in advance of Thursday's annual Thanksgiving holiday, normally a time
   when millions of people travel long distances to visit relatives.

   Many people are heeding the advice, but millions are not, packing
   airports across the country this week.

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