WASHINGTON, D.C. — A total of 411,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment insurance assistance for the week that ended June 19, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. These claims constituted a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week’s revised unemployment claims of 418,000. The claims were also higher than the Dow Jones’ estimate of 380,000, according to CNBC. Continuing claims, data of which lags a week, lowered to 3.39 million, which was a decrease of 144,000, according to the news outlet.
First time claims for unemployment insurance have been above 400,000 for the second week in a row, following two weeks in late May and June when the number of claims dipped below 400,000. CNBC reports that there are 9.3 million job openings but still approximately 9.6 million American citizens without jobs. A total of 25 states have opted out of federal unemployment benefits, a full two months earlier than the Sept. 6 deadline. The news outlet also reports that despite the unemployment benefits ending in certain states, many people are not in any hurry to find a job, due to health concerns from the COVID-19 virus.