US jobless claims at 730K, still high but fewest in 3 months

(AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week in a sign that layoffs may have eased, though claims remain at a historically high level.

Applications for jobless aid declined 111,000 from the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 730,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It is the lowest figure since late November and the biggest one-week decline since August.

Still, before the virus erupted in the United States last March, weekly applications for unemployment benefits had never topped 700,000.