BOSTON (WHDH) - More than half a million people have filed for unemployment in Massachusetts over the past four weeks as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy.
In the week ending on April 11, the United States Department of Labor reported 103,040 initial claims filed in the Bay State. That’s down from 139,647 initial claims filed in the week ending on April 4.
A total of 571,304 initial claims have been submitted in Massachusetts as of March 15, according to the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
The U.S. Department of Labor also revealed that Massachusetts had the sixth-highest insured unemployment rate in the week ending on March 28.
A total of 5.2 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, rising the four-week initial claims total to a record 22 million.
Some economists say the unemployment rate could reach as high as 20 percent in April, which would be the highest rate since the Great Depression of the 1930s. By comparison, unemployment never topped 10 percent during the Great Recession.
Have you lost your job? You may qualify for temporary income to support you while you look for a new one. To apply for unemployment benefits, click here.
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