FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, a customer walks past a now hiring sign at an eatery in Richardson, Texas. The Labor Department reported unemployment numbers Thursday, Sept. 3. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. government will provide its latest picture Thursday of the layoffs that have remained elevated at a weekly pace of around 1 million since the pandemic erupted nearly six months ago even as some sectors of the economy have been rebounding.
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits has stalled near a level that exceeds the number who did so in any week on record before the virus triggered a recession early this year.
While the auto and housing industries have made gains, companies across the spectrum - from small businesses to hotels, restaurants, airlines and entertainment venues - are struggling to survive despite government aid and are still cutting jobs.
The most recent layoffs follow the expiration of a $600 weekly federal check that supplied critical support for the unemployed. The Trump administration is providing a $300-a-week benefit to replace it, though some of the unemployed won't qualify.
An employee of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security WIN Job Center in Pearl, Miss., left, assists a client fill out paperwork, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. The Labor Department reported unemployment numbers Thursday, Sept. 3. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
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FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, a help wanted sign is displayed at car wash in Indianapolis. The Labor Department reported unemployment numbers Thursday, Sept. 3. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
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FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, shoppers pass by a former Clark's shoe store that is now one of several vacant retail spaces among the outlet shops in Freeport, Maine. The Labor Department reported unemployment numbers Thursday, Sept. 3. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
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FILE - In this July 15, 2020, file photo, one-stop operator Vickie Gregorio with the Heartland Workforce Solutions updates a whiteboard outside the workforce office in Omaha, Neb., as those seeking employment await their turn outside. The Labor Department reported unemployment numbers Thursday, Sept. 3. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
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FILE - In this May 7, 2020, file photo, a person looks inside the closed doors of the Pasadena Community Job Center during the coronavirus pandemic in Pasadena, Calif. The Labor Department reported unemployment numbers Thursday, Sept. 3. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
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FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2020, file photo, a customer leaves a Pier 1 retail store, which is going out of business, during the coronavirus pandemic in Coral Gables, Fla. The Labor Department reported unemployment numbers Thursday, Sept. 3. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
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A client stands outside this Mississippi Department of Employment Security WIN Job Center in Pearl, Miss., and waits for assistance from a staffer, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. Because the Job Center lobbies are currently closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, some locations are providing outdoor walkup assistance while maintaining social distancing and face masking to protect both parties. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
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