Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak led more companies to slash jobs even though most states have begun to let some businesses reopen under certain restrictions.
Roughly 36 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the two months since the coronavirus first forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces, the Labor Department said Thursday. An additional 842,000 people applied for aid through a separate federal program set up for the self-employed and gig workers, bringing last week's total to 3.8 million.
A tidal wave of layoffs have caused tens of millions of workers to lose their jobs in a U.S. economy still paralyzed by business shutdowns.
Over the last two months, 33 million people have sought aid as the coronavirus forced employers across the country to close.
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Though most nonessential businesses remain shut down, most states have begun to ease restrictions for some categories of retail establishments despite concerns that it may be too soon to do so without causing new infections.
The number of first-time applications for jobless aid has declined for six straight weeks, suggesting that a dwindling number of companies are reducing their payrolls. By historical standards, though, the number of weekly applications remains enormous, reflecting an economy that's sinking into a severe recession.
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