USA: new record for weekly unemployment benefit claims

[Aveyro]

 

Washington (awp / afp) - Weekly claims for unemployment benefits in the United States registered a new record last week, with 6.6 million new claims, the Labor Department said on Thursday.

 

This is double the previous week, which had registered 3.3 million new unemployment benefit claimants, which was already a historic record.

 

Analysts had expected 2.8 million new claimants during the week of March 22-29.

 

The unemployment rate in the United States for the month of March is due to be published on Friday. It should be 4%, analysts believe, who expect only a slight increase compared to February when it was 3.5%, its lowest level in 50 years.

 

Experts point out that the real effects of the coronavirus crisis will not be felt until April, as the figures taken into account in March predate the massive containment measures, which forced many companies to drastically close or reduce their activity.

 

The smallest American companies, those with less than 50 employees, nevertheless began to destroy jobs in March, which had only happened once in almost 10 years.

 

The economic recovery plan ratified on Friday by Donald Trump after being approved in Congress extends unemployment benefits to the self-employed or part-time in particular, as well as to the sick or quarantined.

 

This should have the effect of inflating the number of claimants, since people who previously were not entitled to it can now claim it.

 

The unemployment benefit is also increased by $ 600 per week for four months, so that workers who find themselves unemployed can earn their full-time wages - except for the highest earners - during this period.

 

The virus has killed 5,137 people in the United States, and infected 216,722 people, according to the count of the American University Johns Hopkins, which refers.

Edited April 5, 2020 by -Dark
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