Jobless claims decline to lowest level since the pandemic began

People walk through the empty Broadway theater district one year after it was closed due to Covid-19 restrictions on March 12, 2021 in New York City.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

published 25 March 2021

The number of Americans filing new jobless claims just unexpectedly hit the lowest level of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Labor Department said Thursday that 684,000 Americans filed new jobless claims last week, a decline of 97,000 from the revised level of the week prior. Not only was this below the 735,000 claims economists were expecting, it was also the lowest number of new claims since March 14, 2020, CNBC reports.

The decline in jobless claims comes as numerous states have taken steps to ease COVID-19 restrictions in recent weeks while coronavirus vaccines roll out, although the director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has expressed concern about the possibility of another surge in cases. Earlier this month, the latest U.S. jobs report for February beat expectations, with the U.S. economy adding 379,000 jobs, more than the 210,000 experts predicted.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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