Unemployment benefits have increased in The United States

Unemployment benefits have increased in The United States

742,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week. The previous week there were 711 thousand of them. The number of applicants increased for the first time in five weeks. A federal report by the Federal Ministry of Labor signals that the rise of new coronavirus infections is likely to slow the economy and force employers to lay off workers. In total, 6.9 million people received unemployment benefits in the United States last week. Before the onset of the pandemic, the number of new applicants was around 225,000 per week. The daily increments of positive test people over the last two weeks have increased by 80% to the highest level ever recorded. There are more states and cities that are introducing restrictions on public and economic life. The second wave of the pandemic thus poses a growing threat to the fragile economic recovery.