Jobless claims fall for 11th straight week, but by smaller amount than in recent weeks, report

An additional 1.5 million laid-off workers applied last week for federal unemployment benefits, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The number marks the 11th consecutive weeks of declining jobless claims amid the coronavirus. The peak was nearly 7 million, in mid March, near the time that the pandemic started. 

Despite the optimism around last week’s number, as the economy slowly reopens as virus numbers across the country have largely either flattened or decreased, the number of claims was significantly smaller than in recent weeks, falling just 58,000, according to the Associated Press.