Almost two million Americans are collecting unemployment in the highest figures since the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of Americans who have been continuously receiving unemployment benefits rose by 38,000 to 1.97 million in late July, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. This unemployment number hasn't been this high since November 2021. The new unemployment numbers come after last Friday's grim July jobs report sent financial markets spiraling downward, spurring President Donald Trump to fire the head of the agency that tallies the monthly jobs numbers.