US Unemployment Claims Soar To Nearly 3.3 Million Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
According to updated reports on the coronavirus, the number of people who filed claims for unemployment insurance in the US last week surged to an all-time high as the pandemic spurred layoffs across the country.
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The Labor Department reported on Thursday that millions of Americans 3,283,000 to be exact, had filed for unemployment, March according to Fox News; making my the surge in weekly applications a shocking reflection of the damage the viral outbreak is doing to the economy.
The latest number is by far the largest on record for a single week, exceeding the record of nearly 700,000 newly filed jobless claims set back in 1982. The new filings point to what many expect will also be a dramatic increase in the jobless rate, possibly even into double digits later this spring, The LA Times notes.
It was said that almost every state noted large increases in claims, led by several East Coast states, Ohio, Texas, and California, according to filings and estimates by states. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday the state alone California alone — one million people applied for unemployment benefits this month.
Despite this, a review of hundreds of early-warning layoff notices submitted by employers to various states over the weeks shows that most of the layoffs are actually temporary.
Meanwhile, the Senate has passed the $2 trillion rescue package to help Americans during the COVID-19 outbreak.
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