WASHINGTON – U.S. unemployment compensation claims eased last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, as the world’s biggest economy appears poised to recover from the damage wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic.
The government said 712,000 workers filed for benefits last week, down 42,000 from the revised figure of the previous week.
Employers in many states are still facing directives to curtail their operations, but some state governors are revoking orders for people to wear face masks and allowing businesses to fully reopen.
In addition, President Joe Biden signed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Thursday afternoon, legislation Democrats in Congress pushed through over uniform Republican opposition. The measure could help boost hiring and consumer spending.
About 2.1 million Americans are now being vaccinated against the virus each day, with Biden promising that any adult who wants a vaccination will be able to get one by the end of May. More than 95 million Americans have received at least one shot of one of the three available vaccines, and as that number grows, more people are regaining a sense of normalcy in their lives.
Even so, employers in many states are still confronted with orders from state…
