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1.5m more Americans file for unemployment benefit

Despite the slight decline from the previous week, the rate of movement back into work is slower than hoped

Published Thu, Jun 18, 2020 · 09:50 PM

Washington

ANOTHER 1.5 million US workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department said on Thursday. This raises the 13-week total to 45.7 million, meaning more than one in four American workers have lost a job during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The level of new jobless claims was surprisingly high - a decrease of only 58,000 from the previous week's level.