Eight months after the pandemic shutdown caused unemployment claims to hit record highs, the Georgia Department of Labor is finally processing unemployment claims at pre-COVID-19 rates.
The department, which processed more than 4 million regular unemployment claims and disbursed more than $15.7 billion in benefits since March, announced that it had caught up with its application queue Thursday, but some applicants could still face frustrating waits.
U.S. employers added 638,000 jobs last month as the unemployment rate dipped to 6.9%. A winter spike in coronavirus infections threatens to further weaken job growth.
In New Hampshire, more than 10,000 people who collected unemployment during the pandemic have received notices that they weren't entitled to benefits and had to return the money.
Women are leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men. The shift is especially pronounced among Latina women, and that could have lasting effects for the broader economy.
As pressure mounts for a longer lifeline than the government's emergency benefits, some lawmakers and advocates are pushing to make broader state stipends a priority.
Powell renews his call for congressional action on the economy, but President Trump tells his representatives to stop negotiating on new relief until after the election.
The Labor Department says U.S. employers added just 661,000 jobs last month, as unemployment fell to 7.9%, showcasing an economic recovery that is losing steam.
Asian Americans have traditionally enjoyed some of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. But the pandemic is taking a heavy toll - and Trump's blaming China isn't helping.
Federal unemployment money has been cut off for nearly two months. Congress hasn't worked out a deal to send more help, and the fight over a Supreme Court nominee could make that harder.
Gig workers are now relying on a safety net program that didn't even exist six months ago. It provides unemployment benefits to the growing number who don't have a traditional payroll job.
Georgia began 2020 with a strong labor market. The state’s unemployment rate in January was the lowest on record at 3.1%, and the number of Georgians looking for work was the lowest since 2001.
But everything changed in March as Georgia doctors began seeing their first cases of COVID-19.
Owensboro, Ky., has enjoyed the closest thing to a V-shaped recovery of any city in the country. Its jobless rate soared in April but by June was back to pre-pandemic levels.
Fewer jobs were added to the economy last month even as the unemployment rate fell to 8.4%. Job growth has slowed since June in a sign of what could be a long and painful recovery from the recession.
