4.4 million Americans sought jobless benefits last week, as economic pain continued across the United States

More than 4.4 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, according to the Labor Department, a signal that the tidal wave of job losses continues to grow during the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s the fifth-straight week that job losses were measured in the millions. From March 15 to April 18, 26.5 million have likely been laid off or furloughed. Jobless figures on this scale haven’t been seen since the Great Depression. The amount of jobs lost in that brief span effectively erased all the jobs created following the 2008 financial...