US workers file 1.48 million jobless claims, bringing coronavirus total to 47M

Some 1.48 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic began to stall, new data show. Thursday’s figure from the US Department of Labor brought the number of initial jobless claims filed during the crisis to 47.2 million — more than the population of Spain. While …

Some 1.48 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic began to stall, new data show.

Thursday’s figure from the US Department of Labor brought the number of initial jobless claims filed during the crisis to 47.2 million — more than the population of Spain. While the number of claims is down from the previous week’s total of $1.5 million, the declines have slowed in recent weeks despite efforts to restart the economy.

“Certainly a lot of people have gone back to work, but it’s not accelerating,” unemployment insurance expert Andrew Stettner told The Post.

“You have workers worried about going back to work and you have demand for workers still low,” added Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation think tank. “Even if restaurants are open and other business are slated to open, you don’t have the need for full workforces.”

The number of people filing continuing unemployment claims also dropped to roughly 19.5 million in the week ending June 13, the feds said. That marked the first time since mid-April that the figure fell below 20 million, though it has largely plateaued even as much of the US eased lockdowns aimed at controlling the virus.

The seasonally adjusted data outpaced economists’ expectations for 1.3 million new claims as reopened businesses appeared to struggle with low demand. The US is also grappling with a resurgence in the virus, which could cause some restrictions to return.

“Three months into the unprecedented economic downturn ignited by the COVID-19 outbreak, the nation’s job market is mired in uncharted and heartbreaking territory,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com.

A staggering 30.5 million Americans — or roughly a fifth of the labor force — were claiming some form of unemployment benefits in the week ending June 6, the most recent week for which that number is available, according to the feds.

That included about 11 million people on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance — the special program for gig workers and others not eligible for regular benefits — up from 9.3 million in the prior week, the figures show.

The latest data came a week ahead of the government’s closely watched jobs report for June. Experts expect it to show some marginal growth in payrolls after the surprise addition of 2.5 million jobs in May — but they warn the crisis is nowhere near over.

“All-in-all, the June report is likely to show a modest improvement in a labor market still balanced precariously between a speedy V-shaped recovery and a much slower recovery,” Glassdoor senior economist Daniel Zhao said.

With Post wires

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