The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 712,000, the lowest total since early November, evidence that fewer employers are cutting jobs amid a decline in confirmed coronavirus cases and signs of an improving economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for unemployment aid dropped by 42,000 from 754,000 the week before. Though the job market has been slowly strengthening, many businesses remain under pressure, and 9.6 million jobs remain lost to the pandemic that flattened the economy 12 months ago. Initial unemployment claims Seasonally adjusted figures Jan. 1, 2000 Jan. 1, 2005 Jan. 1, 2010 Jan. 1, 2015 Jan. 1, 2020 01,000,0002,000,0003,000,0004,000,0005,000,0006,000,0007,000,000 claims_sa Week ending Oct. 31: 751 thousand High: 6.9 million 3/28 Recession Recession High: March 28 6.9 million Financial assistance claims shown are to regular state programs. Source: U.S. Department of Labor In February, U.S. employers added a robust […]