Weekly Unemployment Claims up to 281,000 Due to Coronavirus Layoffs Jobless claims have reached their highest total since
September 2017, according to the Labor Department. The number rose from 211,000
unemployed last week. Labor Department, via statement Labor Department, via statement Companies are just starting to announce
coronavirus-related layoffs, so the jobless
numbers are likely to rise again next week. Ian Shepherdson from Pantheon Macroeconomics believes the number could be as high
as 2-3 million unemployed. Ian Shepherdson, via CNBC