US unemployment rises 6.6m in a week as coronavirus takes its toll
by Dominic Rushe in New York and Michael Sainato in F from Economics | The Guardian on (#51Y1E)
Latest figures show 16 million people have now lost their jobs, with layoffs spreading across the economy
More than 6.6 million Americans lost their jobs last week, with 16 million jobs gone in the past three weeks, as the coronavirus pandemic brought the US economy to a standstill.
Millions of Americans filed for unemployment benefits again last week, the US labor department confirmed on Thursday, as shutdowns across the US led employers to lay off workers in nearly every corner of the market. Economists had expected 5.25 million Americans to file for unemployment benefits for the week ending 4 April.
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