WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to 900,000, still a historically high level that points to ongoing job cuts in a raging pandemic. The Labor Department's report Thursday underscored that President Joe Biden has inherited an economy that faltered this winter as virus cases spiked,...
US Unemployment Claims Jump to 965,000 as Virus Takes Toll
WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and a sign that the resurgent virus has likely escalated layoffs. The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck....
Opinion: Hold Investigative Hearings Into California’s Mass Unemployment Fraud
As residents of one of the highest taxed states in the nation, Californians‌ have a right to expect the government they pay handsomely to provide the basic services their taxes fund. We‌ ‌‌expect‌ ‌that when‌ ‌we‌ ‌lose‌ ‌our‌ ‌job,‌ ‌the‌ ‌money‌ ‌we‌ ‌paid‌ ‌in‌ ‌unemployment‌ ‌insurance‌ ‌will‌ ‌be‌ ‌available‌ ‌to‌ ‌sustain‌...
US Loses 140,000 Jobs, First Monthly Drop Since Spring
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers shed jobs last month for the first time since April, cutting 140,000 positions, clear evidence that the economy is faltering as the viral pandemic tightens its grip on consumers and businesses. At the same time, the unemployment rate stayed at 6.7%, the first time it hasn't...
US Unemployment Claims Slip to Still-High 787,000
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell slightly last week to 787,000, a historically high number that points to a weak job market held back by the viral pandemic. Thursday's figure from the Labor Department, a slight decline from the previous week, shows that even with the pandemic...
California Suspends 1.4 Million Virus Unemployment Claims
California has frozen 1.4 million unemployment claims as it battles fraud in its massive coronavirus unemployment relief program, it was reported Wednesday. The state Employment Development Department said it had examined existing claims from people who said they lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and found about 3.5 million...
Newsom Names New Unemployment Department Director After Claims Scandal
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday appointed Rita L. Saenz to oversee the state's unemployment benefits department, which has been overwhelmed by claims during the coronavirus pandemic and also has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in phony claims, including to prison inmates. Saenz, 71, will be director of the...
Walters: COVID-19 May Have Permanent Economic Impacts
When the state Employment Development Department released a new report on jobs this month, it had a tinge of optimism. California’s unemployment rate had dropped to 8.2% in November, exactly half of the record-high 16.4% recorded in the spring as the first wave of COVID-19 pummeled the state and Gov. Gavin Newsom...
Who Will Pay for All of California’s Unemployment Fraud?
A 1-year-old in Fresno raking in $167 a week. An ex-state employee stealing $200,000 from California’s unemployment system, some by impersonating Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Another $1.2 million swindled by a rapper who bragged about it on YouTube, $1 billion drained in the name of state prisoners, and $2 billion in jobless benefits siphoned off state-issued debit cards. If doing the...
Layoffs Remain Elevated as 803,000 Seek Jobless Aid
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 89,000 last week to a still-elevated 803,000, evidence that the job market remains under stress nine months after the coronavirus outbreak sent the U.S. economy into recession and caused millions of layoffs. The latest figure, released Wednesday by the...