Coronavirus pandemic
The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

For 20th straight week, more than 1 million Americans filed jobless claims even as enhanced benefits expired

Nearly 1.2 million Americans sought the benefits last week, down slightly from the week before

By
August 6, 2020 at 9:36 a.m. EDT
People line up outside a career center in Frankfort, Ky., in June to get assistance with their unemployment claims. (Bryan Woolston/Reuters)

The number of newly filed unemployed insurance claims dropped last week after two straight weeks of rising, but it remains well above historic pre-pandemic levels, according to Labor Department data.

It marked the 20th straight week that more than 1 million Americans filed jobless claims.

A total of 1.19 million people filed new claims last week, down from 1.43 million the week before. The numbers of new claimants have come down from their peak in March of more than 6 million, but they are still well above the pre-pandemic record of 695,000 from 1982.