courtneyk/iStockBy CATHERINE THORBECKE, ABC News
(WASHINGTON) — The unemployment rate in the U.S. fell slightly to 11.1% in June, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Labor. Meanwhile, another 1.4 million workers filed for unemployment insurance in the last week.
Both reports highlight the ongoing anguish of the labor market some three months into the novel coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.
While the June jobs report shows some gains — employment rose by 4.8 million last month — some economists expressed worries it might not accurately represent the current employment climate.
Seth Harris, the former acting secretary of labor in the Obama administration, told ABC News the June jobs report does not yet capture the decision by states to pause their reopening plans.
“The important thing to remember is that these numbers, the monthly jobs report numbers, are from several weeks ago so they do not capture the reclosings that are happening in California, Arizona, Texas, Florida and other states,” he said. “They also don’t capture the fact that there is continuing layoffs.”
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