The US Department of Labor announced that 1.434 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment claims last week, the second consecutive week of increases and the 19th week of claims over one million.
Since the coronavirus pandemic started, more than 50 million Americans have filed for unemployment.
The unemployed are key part of the negotiations for a new coronavirus relief package being considered in Congress and the White House, with Democrats proposing to extend the $600 federal supplement in unemployment insurance, while republicans want to cut it to $200.