The number of Mainers filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits is down for a second straight week.
The state Labor Department says 1,334 Mainers applied, down about 200 from the week before. Also, the number of Mainers seeking federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance numbered just 517 last week, down by nearly 400 from the week before.
The federal program pays benefits to part-timers and freelance workers who don’t qualify for state unemployment benefits.
