With a startling 6.6 million people seeking jobless benefits last week, the United States has reached a grim landmark: More than one in 10 workers have lost their jobs in just the past three weeks to the coronavirus outbreak.
The figures collectively constitute the largest and fastest string of job losses in records dating to 1948. They paint a bleak picture of a job market that is quickly unraveling as businesses have shut down across the country.
More than 20 million Americans may lose jobs this month.
In Nebraska, claims climbed to 26,788 last week, nearly 2 thousand more than the prior week. The Labor Department listing the COVID-19 pandemic as the primary cause of the increase.
The previous record of 24,725 was set in the prior week as state officials imposed new social-distancing restrictions on business and residents hunkered down at home to keep the virus from spreading. That number surpassed the earlier record of 15,700 new claims, which had been set the week before.