Biz: Christmas miracle? New unemployment claims hit 3.5-year low
- 366,000 the number of people who filed for unemployment benefits last week — a number that’s been on the decline for months
- 365,000 the number of people who filed during a week in May 2008, the last time that the jobless benefits numbers were quite this low source
- » However: Don’t get too excited, guys. While the heavily-fluctuating number is certainly better than it’s been in a long time (and the unemployment number is at its lowest level in a long time), the comeback is far from here. Example: During the financial crisis, the U.S. lost roughly 8.8 million jobs; less than a third of those jobs have returned. On top of this, many are still unemployed, and their benefits could run out soon if Congress does not act on the extension for unemployment benefits. Yeah, sorry we have to be such downers, but let’s look in perspective here.