More than 6 million file for jobless benefits as coronavirus layoffs wrack economy
By Sylvan Lane - 04/09/20 08:32 AM EDT
Roughly 6.6 million Americans filed new applications for unemployment benefits in the first week of April as the coronavirus pandemic devastates the U.S. economy and forces millions out of work, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department.
The 6,606,000 initial claims for unemployment insurance filed between April 1 and 7 dropped slightly from revised, record-high 6,867,000 million new applicants during the previous week, extending an unprecedented surge in layoffs.
More than 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in the final two week of March as businesses were forced to shutter to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. As of Thursday morning, there are more than 432,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S., claiming more than 14,000 lives, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
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https://thehill.com/policy/finance/491946-more-than-6-million-file-for-jobless-benefits-as-coronavirus-layoffs-wrack
