Bidenomics Working? U.S. Jobless Claims Drops to New Pandemic Low. The number of Americans filing for initial jobless aid dropped to a crisp pandemic low last week as the country continues to recover from the economic crisis fueled by the coronavirus pandemic. The number of Americans filing for initial jobless aid dropped to a crisp pandemic low last week as the country continues to recover from the economic crisis fueled by the coronavirus pandemic. About 473,000 workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. That’s a five percent decrease from one week earlier and the lowest that weekly claims have hit since March 2020.