(AP) The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week even though the U.S. job market has been rebounding from last year’s coronavirus recession. The Labor Department says jobless claims climbed by 28,000-to-222,000 from the previous week’s pandemic low, 194,000. The 4-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week, fell below 239,000, a pandemic low. Since topping 900,000 in early January, the weekly applications have been falling more or less steadily.
