Nearly Three Million Sought Jobless Benefits Last Week

Over the past two months, three million or more workers a week have filed for unemployment benefits as the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic continues to ripple through the U.S. economy.

Several states, including Utah, Texas and Indiana, have lifted some commercial restrictions imposed in the early days of the crisis to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Governors are seeking to increase testing capabilities and build contact tracking teams as they tend to loosen the lock. In recent weeks, new claims have begun to be settled in Georgia and Florida, after rising last week. But in several other states that have begun reopening, the number of people applying for benefits continues to fall.

In the week ending April 25, about 3.4 million Americans received unemployment benefits through the federal stimulus program, which allows independent contractors and self-employed people to claim benefits. Michigan accounts for a large portion of those claims, according to Thursday's report from the labor department.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/unemployment-benefits-weekly-jobless-claims-coronavirus-05-14-2020-11589410374?mod=hp_lead_pos1