US layoffs remain elevated as incomes and spending weaken

Vehicles drive past a now hiring sign as they enter a parking lot for a Home Depot store location, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, in Boston. The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Passers-by walk past a hiring sign as they enter a Target retail store location, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, in Westwood, Mass. The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)