US jobless claims skyrocket to 6.6 million, marking a 2nd straight weekly record, as coronavirus layoffs persist

Get the Full StoryShannon Stapleton Reuters

US weekly jobless claims spiked to a second consecutive weekly record as coronavirus-induced layoffs persist across the entire country.

6.64 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance in the week ending March 28, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Economists expect that the US will fall into recession in the second quarter if it isn't already in one. The sky-high jobless claims could raise the unemployment rate by multiple percentage points.

"What is striking about this crisis is how broad, how deep, and how rapid these cuts have been," Julia Pollak, labor economist at ZipRecruiter, told Business Insider.

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A record number of Americans filed for unemployment benefits for a second straight week as a nationwide coronavirus lockdown continues to force layoffs.

US weekly jobless claims jumped to 6.64 million in the week ending March 28, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That outpaces the prior week's report, which already reflected a filings more than quadruple the previous record.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: A big-money investor in juggernauts like Facebook and Netflix breaks down the '3rd wave' firms that are leading the next round of tech disruptionSee Also:Employers cut nearly half a million job openings last week as coronavirus froze hiring nationwideEconomists forecast a record 3.5 million more people filed for unemployment last week amid the coronavirus shutdown'Could have been worse': Consumer confidence fell less than expected in March amid the coronavirus pandemic but experts warn the pain is just beginning

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