WASHINGTON: More than 6.6m Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week doubling a record high set just one week earlier a sign that layoffs are accelerating in the midst of the coronavirus.

The stunning report Thursday from the Labor Department showed that job cuts are mounting against the backdrop of economies in the US and abroad that have almost cer­ta­inly sunk into a severe recession.

Applications for unemployment benefits generally reflect the pace of layoffs. Combined with last week’s report that 3.3m people sought unemployment aid two weeks ago, the US economy has now suffered nearly 10m layoffs in just the past several weeks far exceeding the figure for any corresponding period on record.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2020