New unemployment claims finally dip below 1 million, but layoffs remain incredibly high

A protest against unemployment and evictions
(Image credit: ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

The American economy is on the mend — at least through a pandemic-tinted lens.

New unemployment claims finally dipped below 1 million for the first time since March in the past week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Still, the total of 963,000 new claims is well more than the pre-pandemic record of 695,000, and shows that layoffs are still happening even as the Trump administration touts an economic recovery.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.