'Hit by a hurricane': 22m out of work in US as coronavirus takes heavy economic toll

• Labor department announces 5.24m people made claims last week
• Unprecedented layoffs have followed stay-at-home orders

More than 22 million American have lost their jobs in the last four weeks as the coronavirus pandemic has swept across the US, according to government figures.

The US labor department announced on Thursday that another 5.24 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week, making a total of 22.2 million since 14 March when nationwide stay-at-home orders led to an unprecedented wave of layoffs across the country.