WASHINGTON - The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week from the lowest point of the pandemic, even as the job market appears to be rebounding on the strength of a reopened economy.The Labor Department said Thursday that jobless claims increased last week to 419,000, the most in two months, from 368,000 the previous week.
The weekly number of first-time applications, which generally tracks layoffs, has fallen steadily since topping 900,000 in early January.Americans are shopping, traveling and eating out more as the pandemic has waned, boosting the economy and forcing businesses to scramble for more workers.