New jobless claims soar to record 6.6 million as pandemic ripples through the economy

Workers claiming new unemployment benefits swelled to a record 6.6 million last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday, as the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses across the country to shut down.

The historic jobless number, about double what forecasters expected, exceeds the previous record, by far, set last week of 3.2 million requesting unemployment benefits.

The past two weeks have been record-breakers in terms of job losses as the virus has infected over 215,000 Americans, according to Johns Hopkins University. The previous record high for weekly jobless claims was 695,000 in September of 1982.

Thousands of companies have recently announced layoffs as the coronavirus pandemic is shuttering businesses and and causing workers to be sent home faster than anything in living memory. Layoffs have skyrocketed, with nearly half of all U.S. companies expected to announce furloughs. Meanwhile, 37% have begun a hiring freeze as the virus reaches into every nook and cranny of commercial life.

The record high jobless claims have overwhelmed state agencies that process the requests for unemployment benefits. The result is that people are unable to sign up and receive payments.