WASHINGTON (AP) — New US jobless claims reach 870,000 last week as layoffs remain elevated 6 months after the coronavirus pandemic struck the economy. This is roughly the same number as the week before who filed new claims. These numbers do not include those who file with a special government program meant to help those in the "gig economy" and otherwise are not eligible for traditional unemployment.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits each week is still high, and the economy has recovered only about half the 22 million jobs that were lost to the pandemic.

Many employers are struggling. At the same time, some newly laid-off people are facing delays in receiving unemployment benefits as some state agencies intensify efforts to combat fraudulent applications and clear their pipelines of backlogged claims.