BOSTON (WHDH) - The amount of people filing for unemployment benefits in Massachusetts continues to rise as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy.
Initial claims filed in the Bay State last week jumped to 181,062, compared to 148,452 the week before. During the week ending on March 14, only 7,449 initial claims were filed.
Hotel and restaurant workers continue to be the hardest hit by the pandemic with more than 20,000 people filing jobless claims. Construction and retail workers are also among the most affected.
MIT labor economist Tom Kochan told 7NEWS that the unemployment rate could rise to a level last seen during the Great Depression.
“It’s clearly going to go beyond to 10 percent,” he said. “If it gets to 25 percent — that’s what we had at the depths of the Great Depression. I hope it doesn’t go that far but it very well could.”
More than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — doubling a record high set just one week earlier.
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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