WASHINGTON The number of jobs lost due to the coronavirus shutdown continue to mount, with the latest weekly total of Americans applying for unemployment benefits topping 5.24 million. The latest swath of applications brings the total amount of jobless claims to 22 million over the last four weeks, more than wiping out the 20 million jobs added over the last decade. But some states have been feeling the impact of job losses more than others. A Yahoo Finance review of jobless claims data from the U.S. Department of Labour reveals that Michigan and the South has been particularly hard hit since the coronavirus pandemic brought the country’s economy to a grinding halt. Comparing each state’s average weekly jobless claims totals over the last three weeks to the week before shutdowns started occurring, reveals Michigan, Georgia, and Alabama to be the top states showing the largest percentage spike in citizens applying for unemployment benefits. Each state saw jobless claims spike more than 5,000% versus the week ending March 14. Averaging out unemployment claims over the last three weeks versus before the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. shows that Michigan, Georgia, and Alabama were hit with the highest spike in people applying for unemployment benefits..–INP
