The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 898,000, a historically high number and evidence that layoffs remain a hindrance to the economy’s recovery from the pandemic recession that erupted seven months ago.Thursday’s report from the Labor Department shows that the job market remans fragile, and it coincides with other recent data that have signaled a slowdown in hiring. The economy is still roughly 10.7 million jobs short of recovering all the 22 million jobs that were lost when the pandemic struck in early spring.The job search website Indeed said its job postings were unchanged last week, remaining about 17% below last year’s levels. Many employers still aren’t confident enough in their businesses or in their view of the economy to ramp up hiring. Job postings had rebounded steadily over the summer, but the gains have slowed in the past two months.Still, some companies are hoping to hire thousands of employees for seasonal and permanent positions.Video below: Some big companies look to hire more in New HampshireAccording to LinkedIn, retailers including Target, Walmart, Amazon, Lowe’s, Big Lots, Tractor Supply Co., AutoZone, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Michael’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dollar General and Dollar Tree are hiring.Several retailers are also ramping up hiring as they prepare for a different type of holiday shopping.Following Amazon’s Prime Days this week, Walmart announced plans Wednesday to spread out its traditional one-day Black Friday deals over three weekends in November in an effort to reduce crowds in stores during the pandemic.Others, including Macy’s, have said that Black Friday deals will be spread out and will encourage more online shopping, but none have given specific details.Shipping giants UPS and FedEx are also looking for employees, according to LinkedIn. Specialty ship-to-home retailers are also getting in on seasonal hiring. 1-800-Flowers.com says it will hire 10,000 seasonal employees to meet holiday demand across its brands, which also include Harry & David, PersonalizationMall.com, Cheryl’s Cookies and The Popcorn Factory.The Department of Veterans Affairs also hires people to fill 45,000 positions each year, according to LinkedIn. Numerous other industries are looking for employees. Citi and USAA are seeking 15,000 and 10,500 employees respectively, according to LinkedIn.According to Monster.com, Honeywell and XPO Logistics are two technology-focused companies hoping to fill thousands of positions. In manufacturing, Ford Motor Company and Johnson Controls are hiring, Monster.com says. Video below: Here Are Some Tips For Landing a Job in the Coronavirus EraThe recession has disproportionately hurt in-person service industries, especially restaurants, hotels, travel companies and entertainment venues. The damage to those industries has left millions of people unemployed, likely for an extended period until they are either finally recalled to their previous jobs or switch to new careers.The government’s report Thursday said the number of people who are continuing to receive unemployment benefits dropped 1.2 million to 10 million. The decline signals that many of the unemployed are being recalled to their old jobs.But it also reflects the fact that potentially even more people have used up their regular state benefits — which usually expire after six months — and have transitioned to extended benefit programs that last an additional three months. The extended aid programs were established by the financial aid package that Congress enacted in the spring.