First-time jobless claims dropped last week by 19,000, feds

The number of first-time jobless claims by U.S. workers dropped last week by 19,000, to 787,000, the lowest number in four weeks, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Still, jobless claims remain high amid a resurgence of the coronavirus, which has slowed large sectors of the U.S. and global economies since March.

Jobless claims were running around 225,000 a week before the pandemic struck in March, according to the Associated Press.

The federal government also said Thursday that the total number of people receiving traditional unemployment benefits fell by 103,000 to 5.2 million for the week ending Dec. 19, compared to the previous week, the wire service also reports.