As we continue to stay on top of stories that affect the financial and employment markets as well as the gig economy, we recap this week’s busy labor and unemployment news in the U.S. There’s a lot to break down this first week of October 2020 so hang on, because this week was a bumpy ride for a number of major industries and the employees working within them. 

Today, Thursday October 1st the Department of Labor released the most recent unemployment report, with jobless claims up slightly to 870,000 from 866,000 a week earlier. On Friday October 2nd, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will follow up with a report on the monthly unemployment rate for September. As of August 2020 that rate stood at 8.4%.