Number of Americans filing for jobless aid dips

Fewer Americans filed for jobless aid last week, a sign the labor market continues to slowly recover from the massive blow delivered by the coronavirus pandemic.

About 790,000 people filed for unemployment benefits for the first time in the week ending September 12, the Labor Department said Thursday. It’s the first time in six months that initial unemployment claims were below 800,000.

Accounting for seasonal adjustments, about 860,000 people filed for unemployment aid, in line with earlier weeks. Another 659,000 sought Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a new federal program for the self-employed and gig workers. That number fell by 209,000 from the week before.

This is a developing story.