AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) – The government will provide its latest picture Thursday of the pace of job cuts in the United States, which remain elevated with the viral pandemic still impeding the economy seven months after it first erupted.
The still-high number of people seeking jobless benefits reflects an economy that has recovered only slightly more than half the 22 million jobs that were lost to the pandemic.
Many Americans are enduring unemployment with vastly diminished aid since a $600-a-week federal benefit expired this summer.
The latest weekly report on jobless claims coincides with fading prospects for a new federal rescue aid package that economists say is urgently needed for unemployed workers and struggling businesses, states and cities. 
The report also comes on the same day the DFW-based airlines reported staggering revenue losses in the third quarter during the ongoing pandemic.
American Airlines said Thursday that it lost $2.40 billion in the third quarter, and Southwest Airlines reported a loss of $1.16 billion.
Those losses came in the July-through-September quarter that is normally a strong one for airlines, taking in most of the peak summer vacation season.
But most travelers were grounded this summer by fear and travel restrictions intended to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
American’s revenue tumbled 73%, and Southwest’s revenue fell 68% from a year ago. Airlines are cutting their workforces and borrowing billions from the government and private sources to outlast the virus.