Claims for unemployment benefits went down more than expected last week.

Another 547,000 American workers filled jobless claims last week, adjusted for seasonal swings. It was a new low for claims since the pandemic started and fewer than analysts surveyed by Refinitiv expected. 

Economists are confident that the labor market recovery will gather speed as the economy reopens fully and more people get vaccinated. But jobless claims rose in two of the past three weeks, stressing that the road to recovery will be bumpy.

Claims for pandemic unemployment assistance, which provides benefits for people like the self-employed who aren't eligible for regular state benefits, rose slightly to 133,319 without seasonal adjustments.

Added together, just under 700,000 people filed for benefits last week without seasonal adjustments.

Meanwhile, the count for continued jobless claims — the number of people filing for at least two weeks in a row — also fell, albeit at a slower pace. In the week ended April 10, continued claims stood at nearly 3.7 million.

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-vaccine-updates-04-22-21/h_ecbeb6b92c6b8880f134234b06296c4d