Coronavirus pushed 3.3m to claim US jobless benefits
In this file photo taken on March 24, 2020 , a local business is closed until the state sanctioned three weeks "stay at home" order is lifted in Detroit, Michigan. US unemployment claims rise 3.3 million for the week of March 21, 2020, according to the US Labor Department on March 26. The Coronavirus outbreak caused highest claims for US jobless benefits on record.
The coronavirus pandemic and economic shutdown caused unemployment benefit filings by Americans workers to surge to 3.3 million last week — the highest number ever recorded, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The normally routine report is at the frontlines of the economic crisis caused by the outbreak, which has forced widespread closures of restaurants, shops and hotels, and brought airline travel to a virtual halt, prompting the stunning increase in people filing for benefits nationwide in the week ending March 21.
Nearly every state cited COVID-19 for the jump in initial jobless claims, with heavy impacts in food services, accommodation, entertainment and recreation, healthcare and transportation, the report said.
