Missouri, U.S. jobless aid requests remain elevated

The state labor department reports 10,857 initial unemployment claims in the week ending Sept. 5.

That is up slightly from the 10,485 claims the previous week. Claims in Missouri have leveled off, after dropping almost every week through Aug. 8. While it is above normal levels before the pandemic, it is well below the record peak of 104,230 claims in the week ending Mar. 28.

More from The Associated Press:

The number of Americans applying for jobless aid was unchanged last week at 884,000, a sign that layoffs are stuck at a historically high level six months after the viral pandemic flattened the economy. The latest figure released by the Labor Department Thursday still far exceeds the number who sought benefits in any week on record before this year.