WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to 860,000, a historically high figure that reflects economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak. Before the pandemic hit the economy, the number signing up for jobless aid had never exceeded 700,000 in a week, even in the depths of the 2007-2009 Great Recession. The Labor Department also said Thursday that 12.6 million are collecting traditional unemployment benefits, compared with 1.7 million a year ago.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - In this July 15, 2020, file photo, one-stop operator Vickie Gregorio with the Heartland Workforce Solutions updates a whiteboard outside the workforce office in Omaha, Neb., as those seeking employment await their turn outside. The Labor Department reported unemployment numbers Thursday, Sept. 3. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
Posted at 3:47 AM, Sep 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-17 13:06:36-04
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