3.2 Million More Americans File For Jobless Benefits
Summary from the AllSides News Team
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From the Center
3.2 Million Workers Filed Unemployment Claims Last WeekLast week 3.2 million workers filed unemployment claims, easing from the peak since the coronavirus triggered U.S. shutdowns but marking the seventh week of record applications.
Nearly 33.5 million applications for unemployment benefits have been filed since mid-March, according to the Labor Department, in the seven weeks since authorities widely began ordering businesses to close to combat the spread of the virus. Prior to March, fewer than 700,000 claims were filed weekly in records back to 1967.
Applications filed for the week ended May 2, were the fewest since the...
From the Right
Jobless claims total 3.2M, down from historic highs but still extremeThe number of workers claiming unemployment benefits increased by 3.2 million last week, according to the Labor Department.
Economists had expected 3.1 million new jobless claims.
The number of weekly jobless claims dropped in every state last week except Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, and New Mexico. The territory of Puerto Rico also saw an increase in jobless claims.
Thursday's number is roughly half of the historic 6.9 million claims made during the week ending March 28, but the number is still extremely high by historical standards. Prior to the coronavirus,...
From the Left
Weekly unemployment claims rise by 3.2M as states move to reopenThe number of Americans losing jobs to the coronavirus pandemic continued last week to climb steeply, the Labor Department reported Thursday, with 3.2 million new unemployment claims filed.
The latest figure, which covers the week ending May 2, puts job losses over the past seven weeks at nearly 33.5 million, prompting many economists to suggest that unemployment now stands higher than in most Americans' lifetimes.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday will release its more precise estimate of the April unemployment rate as part of its monthly jobs report....
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