“There’s just a lot of people applying for not a lot of jobs,” says Neil Cairns of Portland, Oregon.

Instead of calculating PUA benefits based on people’s income, many states have just been paying the minimum benefit.

In 29 of 41 states that reported data, people in receipt of pandemic assistance benefits were being paid below the federal poverty line.

The Labor Department’s report Wednesday said jobless claims climbed from 748,000 the week before.

The lowest-income households were more likely to lose wages and fall behind on rent.

It’s the first increase in five weeks and a sign that the resurgent viral outbreak is likely slowing the economy.

When tens of millions of workers were laid off and applied for benefits in the spring, the system crashed. Here are some ideas for making it work better.

In just 38 days, 12 million jobless workers will lose their benefits. Talks on another relief bill have stalled in Congress.

The figures coincide with a sharp resurgence in confirmed viral infections to an all-time high above 120,000 a day.

The unemployment rate is down, and more people are returning to the labor force. But finding a job isn’t easy.