Nearly 39 mln lost jobs in US since pandemic

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits in the two months since the coronavirus took hold in the U.S. has swelled to nearly 39 million, the government reported Thursday. Even as states from coast to coast gradually reopen their economies and let people go back to work. Report informs, citing the Associated Press.

More than 2.4 million people filed for unemployment last week in the latest wave of layoffs from the business shutdowns that have brought the economy to its knees.

The total number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits in the two months since the coronavirus took hold in the U.S. has swelled to nearly 39 million.

Moreover, the number of weekly applications has slowed for seven straight weeks. Yet the figures remain breathtakingly high – 10 times higher than usual before the crisis struck.