States reported that 553,000 workers filed for new unemployment benefits during the week ending April 24, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level and the lowest level of initial claims since March 2020. The total number of workers continuing to claim state unemployment benefits fell to 3.6 million.
The labor market is rebounding, fewer workers are being laid off and hiring is picking up as states lift COVID-19 restrictions. Even with the high levels of unemployment, many employers report labor shortages as well as hiring difficulty more than one year since the pandemic began.
About 16.5 million people overall are receiving some type of unemployment aid. That includes about 12 million people enrolled in emergency programs such as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for gig workers and the self-employed and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, which offers an additional 24 weeks of benefits.