The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the United States is 473,000

WASHINGTON: FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 – The number of job losses in the United States has been steadily declining.

The U.S. labor market, which suffered a major crisis early last year due to the Corona Virus epidemic, has seen a sharp recovery, the Department of Labor said Thursday. According to a recent survey by the department, only 473,000 people have lost their jobs.

A weekly report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday states that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits has dropped by 34,000. Of the 577,000 people who applied for unemployment benefits last week, only 473,000 applied last year.

This is the lowest level of unemployment claims since March 14, 2020. At that time, a total of 256,000 people had claimed for unemployment benefits.

Meanwhile, the total number of people claiming benefits from both state and federal programs has come down by 6.96 million to 1.68 million.

Many Republican-ruled states have announced they will end the federal unemployment program within June. The program is coming to an end in September. In addition to the facilities provided by the state in the federal aid program, a weekly unemployment allowance of USD 300 has been provided.

According to the governors, due to the allowances provided by the federal government, people are not interested in finding work and there is a shortage of workers.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has refuted the governors’ arguments. Speaking at a recent press conference at the White House, Finance Minister Janet said it was natural for people to be reluctant to go to work because of the care of children and the elderly, as well as the threat of epidemics and personal health problems. – XINHUA