Demand for jobless aid high, even as economy slowly picks up
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment remains painfully high in the U.S. even as economic activity slowly picks up. That reality will be on display Thursday morning when the U.S. government releases data on the number of laid off workers who sought unemployment benefits last week, as well as how retailers did in June. Both reports will be closely watched as new confirmed cases of coronavirus rise in 40 states, including huge spikes in large states such as California, Texas and Florida, which threaten to slow the nascent economic recovery.