Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak led more companies to slash jobs even though most states have begun to let some businesses reopen under certain restrictions.
Roughly 36 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the two months since the coronavirus first forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces, the Labor Department said Thursday.
- First time filings actually declined for six straight weeks.
- Filing for and receiving UI remains quite challenging in several states for some workers: Self-employed, free-lance and gig workers.
- Unemployment rate soared to 14.7% in April.
- Highest rate since the Great Depression.
- 20.5 million jobs lost.
- A decade’s worth of job creation wiped out entirely.
