Workers file 853K unemployment claims last week as new wave of Covid lockdowns tanks labor market

The number of people applying for unemployment aid jumped last week to 853,000, the most since September.

The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of applications went up from 716,000 the previous week.

In November, employers added jobs at the slowest pace since April, while restaurants, bars and retailers all cut jobs last month.

The total number of people who are receiving state-provided unemployment aid rose for the first time in three months to 5.8 million, up from 5.5 million.

All told, more than 19 million people are still dependent on some type of unemployment benefit.

Nearly half of them will lose that aid in just over two weeks when two aid programs end.

Members of Congress and the Trump administration are fighting over a $900 billion relief package.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday proposed a one-time round of $600 relief checks — half the $1,200 previously provided in the spring.

With a coronavirus vaccine nearing approval, many economists are optimistic that the economy will rebound strongly in 2021.

But most favor another federal financial relief package to support unemployed workers, small businesses, and state and local governments until then.

New confirmed virus cases are now topping 200,000 a day, up from only about 30,000 in the spring. A

And the average number of deaths each day in the past seven days has surpassed 2,000, roughly matching its peak in April.

The rising number in virus cases has led many governors to impose stricter curbs on restaurants, gyms and other business activity in states from North Carolina to California and Washington state.