Labor Dept: 6.6 Million New Jobless Claims This Week

NPR reports:



The number of people seeking unemployment benefits shot up again last week, as 6.6 million more people filed initial claims, the Labor Department said Thursday. And analysts expect the numbers to keep rising in coming weeks. About 17 million have filed in the past three weeks.

In the prior week, ending March 28, a revised 6.9 million people filed first-time claims. Jobless claims have skyrocketed in recent weeks, as countless restaurants, hotels, factories and offices have been forced to shut down to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

A report this week from Moody’s Analytics said job losses are expected to mount at “staggering” levels in the coming weeks. The firm estimated that some 45 million jobs are at risk of being eliminated, because they’re not considered essential and can’t be done remotely.