New York jobless claims also on the increase

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSYR-TV) — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits increased by more than 15,500 in the week ending January 9 over the previous week.

Since December, New York has had just one week where the number of new jobless claims was below 50,000.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits has been on the increase as the COVID-19 pandemic became worse in the weeks following the Thanksgiving holiday.

While the numbers of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have exploded, the restrictions on activities and consequential job losses have not been as severe as back in April and May. During that time, New York saw jobless claims soar to a peak of almost 400,000 new claims in one week.