The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak has doubled in just a week. According to Labor Department figures on Thursday, a record 6.6 million individuals filed for assistance, up from the revised 3.307 million that had been the previous record. The jump is likely to cause the unemployment rate, currently at a nearly 50-year low of 3.5%, to soar when released on Friday, with some estimates reaching as high as 15%. Making matters worse, this may not even be the complete picture, as many states’ employment websites are overwhelmed and can’t process all the claims.
Mass layoffs tied to the coronavirus pandemic spark a surge in Americans filing for unemployment benefits, with 6.6 million filing last week https://t.co/vymE0MoesZ pic.twitter.com/QHGNGg3NnE
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 2, 2020
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Fully 28,560 state residents filed jobless claims last week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported, compared to 19,690 the week before, which was already quadruple the weekly record set during the Great Recession.” Please check on your friends, family, and neighbors show may be unemployed and help them out if you can with food (maybe even a 6 pack).
