4.4 Million More Americans
File Jobless Claims The Labor Department
released the numbers on Thursday. The five-week total of those
who have filed claims since the
beginning of the U.S. coronavirus
outbreak now exceeds 26.4 million. The addition of 4.4 million jobless claims is more
than the 4.3 million claims that were expected. The number represents a
loss of all jobs that have been
added since the Great Recession. This means that the next unemployment rate
to be released by the Labor Department
is likely now a staggering 23 percent. The record high unemployment rate set
during the Great Depression was 24.9 percent. Analysts noted that
810,000 less claims were filed
last week than the week prior. Economist Ian Shepherdson