779,000 Americans Filed for Unemployment Benefits Last Week

The Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment was about 779,00 Americans filing for first-time jobless claims.

People line up outside Kentucky Career Center prior to its opening to find assistance with their unemployment claims in Frankfort, Ky., on June 18, 2020. Bryan Woolston/Reuters

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits eased slightly last week as multiple states nationwide started to loosen CCP virus pandemic-related restrictions on businesses.

The Labor Department’s data (pdf) on Thursday showed about 779,000 Americans filed for first-time jobless claims in the week ending Jan. 30, a decrease of about 33,000 compared to 812,000 claims in the week prior.