NEW YORK – Unemployed United States workers filed 3.2 million new claims for jobless benefits last week as the coronavirus pandemic continued to ravage the world’s largest economy, but there is evidence the tsunami of layoffs is ebbing.
The latest data from the Labor Department brings the number of claims filed since mid-March, when the pandemic forced businesses to close their doors to stop the spread of COVID-19, to 33.5 million — a number unprecedented in modern times.
However, the total first-time filers in the week ended May 2 declined from the week prior, indicating the surge in job losses that followed has passed its peak. (AFP)
