Consumer News: Unemployment claims fall in the U.S., how the Russian invasion of Ukraine can affect Americans at home and more

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COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce reports an increase in the number of people filing first time unemployment insurance claims last week. From February 13-19, SCDEWS says 1,120 initial claims were filed, an increase from the 1,042 filed the previous week. For last week’s claim period, officials say 6,144 claimants were paid an average benefit of $272.82. Since March 15, 2020, SCDEW says a total of $6,607,674,434.04 was paid out to claimants.

You can see SCDEW’s full data dashboard at www.dew.sc.gov/data-and-statistics/data-dashboard.

CNN– So far, so good for the 2022 jobs outlook in the U.S. The Labor Department reports unemployment claims fell to less than 1.5 million last week. That’s the lowest level of claims we’ve seen since March of 1970. Initial jobless claims however are still holding steady for the most part. 232,000 new claims were filed last week, a decrease of 17,000 claims from the week before.

ABC NEWS– The Ukraine-Russia conflict may be thousands of miles away, but we will soon be seeing the effects here at home, from the gas pump to the stock market. There’s also the threat of potential cyberattacks if the situation continues to escalate. ABC’s Reena Roy has the details.