AP FACT CHECK: Biden's shaky claims on jobs, gasoline

WASHINGTON (AP) — Boasting that government policies can make a difference in improving the economy, President Joe Biden went too far Thursday in taking credit for job growth since taking office. He also made a dubious suggestion that wrongdoing is behind higher...

Italy requires COVID-19 pass for all workers from Oct. 15

MILAN (AP) — Italian workers in both the public and private sectors must display a health pass to access their workplaces from Oct. 15 under a decree adopted Thursday by Premier Mario Draghi’s broad-based coalition government. The measures are the first by a major...

Rhode Island's unemployment rate rises slightly

CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island's unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a percentage point in August to 5.8%, and the state has now regained 73% of the jobs lost at the start of the coronavirus pandemic when many businesses were required to close, state labor officials said Thursday....

Surprise uptick in spending by Americans as delta spread

NEW YORK (AP) — Despite a rise in COVID-19 cases Americans spent at a brisk pace last month, though much of that spending was done online and not at restaurants or other industries beleaguered by the arrival of the delta variant. Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted...

Job market disconnect raises concerns over economic recovery

The gulf between record job openings and a lack of people taking those jobs is forcing Wall Street to reassess the pace of the economic recovery. Jobs were gutted during the pandemic and employment growth has been a closely watched gauge for investors. Increasing...

US unemployment claims rise after hitting pandemic low

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits moved up last week to 332,000 from a pandemic low, a sign that the spread of the delta variant may have slightly increased layoffs. Applications for jobless aid rose from 312,000 the week before,...

Georgia jobless rate falls to 3.5% in August, payrolls stall

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's jobless rate fell for the 16th straight month in August, although employer payroll growth stalled. The state's unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% from 3.7% in July. The state's jobless rate was 7% in August 2020. The number...

Cuba opens door to more private business, but red tape looms

HAVANA (AP) — Opening a small business is a bureaucratic headache in many parts of the world. In Cuba, it's an adventure in largely unknown territory. Most sorts of private businesses have been banned for more than 50 years, even if hundreds of thousands of Cubans in...

US jobless claims tick up to 332,000, up 20,000 from last week, as delta variant weighs on economy

Washington August jobless rate was 5.1%; 16,800 jobs added

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington’s unemployment rate remained at 5.1% and the state added 16,800 jobs last month, officials announced Wednesday. The Employment Security Department said that August's rate was the same as July's rate, and the job gains came even as...