20,000 decrease in jobless claims from prior week.
On Thursday, the Department of Labor released the most up-to-date information on the health of the jobs economy. For the fifth week in a row, the number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits declined. As of Thursday, jobless claims were down to 385,000 claims, a 20,000 decrease from the week before.
So far this year, American employers have added 1.8 million jobs. The country is 8.2 million jobs short of pre-pandemic rates. Currently, 3.8 million Americans are still claiming traditional state unemployment payments. In order to encourage more Americans to return to work, 25 states have announced that they will be ending additional federal unemployment payments early.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- That Americans would be ready and willing to seek employment as the availability of jobs continues to expand.
- For the Labor Department as they assess and report that state of employment in the nation.
- That the president and his administration would seek God’s wisdom as they strategize economic recovery.
Sources: AP, Politico, Reuters
